Specifications for an International Harvester TD9 Bulldozer
by James RutterUpdated July 11, 2023
International Harvester (IH) began manufacturing tractors in 1909. From 1939 to 1959, IH produced the TD-9 tractor. According to the “Tractor Data” website, IH built 59,800 of these models, which it produced at its factory in Melrose Park, Illinois. The company offered the TD-9 with a bulldozer attachment. Farmers used these tractors for field work and the U.S. Military employed the TD-9 as a light tractor during World War II.
Engine
International Harvester equipped its TD-9 models with one of three engines. Earlier models used a four-cylinder, vertical I-head diesel engine. This engine’s bore measured 4.4 inches and its stroke measured 5.5 inches. It had an overall displacement of 334.5 cubic inches and a compression ratio of 15.7-to-1. A 13-gallon liquid coolant system kept this engine from overheating. It had a 1,400 rpm rating. In 1956, the TD-9 adopted a larger, 350-cubic inch four-cylinder diesel engine. This engine had a bore of 4.5 inches and a stroke of 5.5 inches. It also used a liquid coolant system and it had a compression ratio of 15.6-to-1. This engine had a maximum rpm of 1,550. The company also offered a liquid-cooled six-cylinder engine for the TD-9. This engine had a 282-cubic-inch displacement and a bore that measured 3.69 inches and a stroke that measured 4.39 inches. It had a compression ratio of 18.1-to-1 and hit a maximum rpm of 1,700.
Dimensions
The TD-9 stretched 114 inches in length, had a height of 64 inches and spanned a width of 75 inches. Original models weighed 10,800 lbs. International Harvester installed a 31 gallon fuel tank in the TD-9.
Transmission
Operators shifted the TD-9 through the five forward and one reverse gear of its transmission.
Operation
A pair of 6-volt batteries powered the TD-9’s electrical components. The front and rear wheels rode on tracks. The original four-cylinder engine produced 46.7 horsepower to drive the belt and 39.5 horsepower to drive the bulldozer’s drawbar. The larger four-cylinder engine generated 62.7 horsepower for the tracks and 52.8 horsepower for the drawbar. A TD-9 equipped with the six-cylinder cranked out 69.1 horsepower for the tracks and 56.3 horsepower for the drawbar.
Writer Bio
Since 2005, James Rutter has worked as a freelance journalist for print and Internet publications, including the “News of Delaware County,” “Main Line Times” and Broad Street Review. As a former chemist, college professor and competitive weightlifter, he writes about science, education and exercise. Rutter earned a B.A. in philosophy and biology from Albright College and studied philosophy and cognitive science at Temple University.
