Product Description

The Farmall M was International Harvester’s flagship row-crop tractor from 1939 through 1954, built in Rock Island, Illinois. According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, the Farmall M’s differential-mounted disc brakes allegedly used friction linings containing chrysotile asbestos bonded in a phenolic binder. The brake pucks and shoes were serviceable items exposed during rear-end teardowns, and replacements were routinely fitted during the tractor’s long working life on North American farms.

Workers Exposed

Farmall M owners commonly serviced their own brakes in the farm shop, allegedly disturbing chrysotile-containing friction material. Farm-equipment mechanics at IH dealerships and independent shops handled Farmall M brake work as standard shop practice, including sanding and grinding friction surfaces to match new pucks. Tractor-restoration hobbyists working on decades-old Farmall M units continue to allegedly encounter original friction material during brake overhauls.