It’s hard to believe that such a big company as International Harvester couldn’t compete with GM, Ford, and Chrysler in the truck market given the laundry list of new EV pickups being readied for the market today from some relatively unknown companies. The seller has this last-year 1975 International 200 4×4 listed here on eBay in Saint Michaels, Maryland and they have a $19,499 buy-it-now price listed or you can make an offer.
International only made around 6,000 pickups in 1975, their final year of passenger truck manufacturing. Unusual for an eBay auction, the seller doesn’t provide a VIN or any number plates or anything and I-H’s can be a bear to decode even with those numbers so I’m taking their word that this is a final year 1975 pickup. Geo? Howard? Does anyone know for sure by looking at the photos?
Some of the panels are interesting in appearance, almost as if they have been repainted at some point and they’re right next to portions of the truck that don’t look too hot, such in the opening photo of the front clip and then there’s the rough-looking rest of the passenger side. I don’t know if it’s been partially restored at some point or if that was an unfortunate factory quality issue or what’s going on.
The interior looks good from what we can see and the seller mentions that the seat has been recovered. This truck has factory air-conditioning with a new R-134A compressor but the system needs work as the condition of the other components is unknown. There is rust to deal with despite the solid look of the cab. There is rust by the rear window and that should be addressed asap.
This 3/4-ton International pickup has a great-looking engine and engine compartment which I didn’t expect to see given the somewhat patina-heavy exterior look. This is International’s 392 cubic-inch V8 which would have had around 190 horsepower. It’s been rebuilt as have most of the other under-hood systems and this one sounds like it’s ready to go. Hagerty is at $12,400 for a #3 good condition truck, what’s your offer on this one given the recent mechanical work?
Well, leesee,,,Geomechs can probably give the full 411 on these. I did read, made in Springfield, Ill ( no, not THAT Springfield, they are from Kentucky) the very LAST IH D series built on April, 28, 1975 was an AWD D500. This truck was certainly toward the end, the seller thinking that should make this a $20K vehicle. Probably the worst rendition of a 4wd pickup, it’s partially why they failed. Don’t get me wrong, without question, the best pickup made, it had all quality aftermarket parts, but people just couldn’t get the either semi truck, or farm image out of their minds, and the others were on the fast track to cushy pickups, IH chose not to follow that. I see a couple out here, mostly relegated to a corner of a body shop parking lot with a rusty plow hanging on the front, and certainly not something they consider collectible, not $20g’s collectible, anyway. It’s a great find, I’d offer $5 grand tops,,,now, if it had the plastic on the seats and 714 miles, yes, maybe then, but good luck. Anybody that DID buy these IH trucks, were generally farmers, and in case you don’t know, farmers usually used these until the doors fell off, and even still, they sit in a corner of the shed, hopefully, and not outside, still able to plow the drive if need be.
Here’s the last IH D series truck made,, https://i.pinimg.com/originals/39/03/1d/39031df4db35e9fd94643e5be3701e5b.jpg
That’s Springfield, Ohio, Howard. Not to worry as every time I think of Springfield, I think of MA where guns and Indian motorcycles were made. Incidentally, that pic of the LAST light Binder wasn’t really the last light Binder. There was in the neighborhood of 1000 orders that were being processed before that line was closed and converted to Loadstar (and later, S-Line) production. I’ve gotten a number of Line-Setting tickets for trucks beyond the one in the picture. I even have a copy of the ticket for this one at work. Unfortunately, I cannot provide it because I’m home with a broken ankle and won’t be back probably until the end of January at the earliest…
Sorry to hear about the ankle Geo, best of luck on your recovery! Take care, Mike.
Thanks for the well wishes. I never thought that a busted ankle could be that much of an impairment but it really shuts you down. Crutches, can’t put any weight on your ankle whatsoever. I sure developed a respect for those who lose their mobility, even if temporary…
I have one of those LAST trucks made, it is a twin to the picture you provided, only one known to receive a 480 Holmes wrecker bed. 392-4speed
I knew Howard would chime in with good info and comments.
In hindsight, I’ve also wondered if IH saw, in the mid-70’s, the early days of pickups becoming more than work-only vehicles. Or if they did, could they have done anything about it (i.e., did they have the internal resources).
Which leads me to a comment about your first sentence Scotty. Note this is my own analysis and opinion.
“… laundry list of new EV pickups” (from new manufacturers). I believe you answered your own question. Note it isn’t “laundry list of new pickups”, it’s “EV pickups.” Big, established, well-respected companies like Honda only dabble in the pickup market. Yet, there are new EV pickups like Rivian. Why? It’s because EV pickups are seen as the next big thing. So there is gobs of venture capital being thrown at them. Whether they become viable, catch on, return their investment, etc. remains to be seen. I have my doubts though I think EV trucks from the established manufacturers (e.g. Ford Lightning) will find a market— plenty of Lightning reservations so far.
By the way, this is an interesting IH. But no question, it’s a truck.
In the second picture is that filler cap for gas on the front quarter panel? If it is what an odd place.
Hi Bill, the aux. gas tank on these, I believe was under the driver outside the frame rail. The regular tank was behind the seat. You can see the filler on the left side behind the door.
I got a 75 international 4×4 3/4 ton got a 392 got the divorce transfer case standard transmission disc brakes front it’s blue two-tone blue it was my grandpa’s I drove it for a little while after he passed away and parked it it’s got a few little issues with the body straight and all original you seem to really like these trucks I might be persuaded to sell it at the price was right .
Still for sale
International’s problems actually began back in the 30s. There was a depression going on and, like Studebaker, it tried to convey to the shareholders and general public that all was well so it continued with high dividend payouts and acted as nothing was wrong. Unlike Studebaker, IH was in much better shape but it still should’ve pulled things in and kept its money inhouse. Binder did well throughout the war and through the 50s and 60s. There were times when truck sales actually outdid GMC. But there WERE a lot of problems.
IH should’ve been reinvesting in itself instead of paying out big dividends. By the 70s most of the competition was running new, efficient factories while Binder was still using the old “Pulley and Jackshaft” systems it was running back in the 20s. When it became time to progress, interest rates were through the roof and IH got hit real hard. It also had to deal with a six-month long strike that severely crippled it.
International’s truck division was doing real well despite the outside conditions but the light truck part was sliding. And it was because of three problems: The heavy truck people didn’t want anything to do with the light trucks; it kind of pushed them off to the side. The farms were getting larger and fewer in number which caused a massive decline in lighter truck demand. International didn’t have a car division to have as a supplement to the trucks so exposure was limited unless it could secure some contracts with independent car dealers which were too few and far between. Of course, there were other problems, like the EPA catching up with the engines and pretty much shutting down the production of the smaller six-cylinder gas jobs.
Binder immediately regretted closing the light truck line. That became apparent right away but by the time it fully realized what it had done, the financial problems were insurmountable and getting retooled and back on track was prohibitive; it was too busy selling off its divisions in order to remain afloat.
For years GMC, Ford and International had exclusive truck dealers where their complete lines of trucks were sold and serviced. If the bulk of Binder dealers could’ve gotten their acts together the problems might have been more easily overcome. Binder made a good product and it had a lot of brand loyalties. I knew farmers and businesses that had run Binders back into the 20s. Even after the 70s they continued with Binder for their larger trucks.
OK, that’s enough for this entry. Time to talk about other things…
IH failed mostly because of its weak distribution. Farm equipment dealers who carried IH light trucks weren’t located in the suburban areas where the majority of buyers were. Attempts to use other auto brands dealerships to carry IH trucks mostly failed. One can argue whether style or quality contributed, but from the late 50’s onward, the lack of dealerships in prime locations made it a fait accompli regarding the light trucks line.
I sure wouldn’t turn this one down if it was staring at me. But it’s definitely out of my budget. My wife and I were out for a Sunday drive early last fall and we came across a super nice one sitting at an equipment dealership. I phoned the place on Monday only to find that it was already gone. It had arrived on Thursday or Friday and was gone by Monday. I’m obviously not the only one who likes old trucks, including Binders…
Thanks for the correction, the site just said “Springfield”, I assumed Illinois. Funny, that pickup you show looks right at home parked in amongst a bunch of farm implements,ironically, a part of their demise. People looking for a pickup wouldn’t think of checking a tractor dealer. Farmers, their biggest customers, loved it. They could get combine AND pickup parts at the same place. The downside to that was, farmers generally only buy one pickup,,for life.
We go over the causes why they discontinued the pickup, one has to remember, in the early 70’s, pickups hadn’t attained near the cult status they have today, and IH concentrated on their HD truck market, that was going great guns at the time. They enjoyed great success, more than the pickup ever generated. Too bad they never figured a company named Volvo would put a nail in those gears.
I guess it depends greatly on where your operation is. Out west most farmers traded pickups every 2 to 4 years. My Dad went through them like they were going out of style. But he was also a veterinarian and used his trucks on vet calls. There were several farmers who traded pickups every year and there were just as many waiting to buy the used ones. I remember getting jacked up by a local sorehead in the coffee shop back around ‘95. I was out on service calls and I was in the ‘79 GMC then with about 280K miles on it. He lit into me accusing me of trying to retire before I turned 50 and said we should be indicted for theft. I looked outside at the row of pickups and said that I had the oldest truck out there by a long shot. “You’re implying that I make $55.00 per hour? Hell the girls at the bank and the post office make more than I do!” Well, ol’ Bud was set in his opinion and when he couldn’t win the argument he just drank the last of his coffee, slammed the cup down and stormed out the door. But that’s the way of the west. Farmers put their kids through college; they build the fanciest houses in town; their kids have massive weddings; they form the majority of the “snowbirds”in AZ, and they all congregate at the coffee shop and complain about how tough they have it. But some also face challenges. My S-I-L is from Central WI and his story is not so rosy.
my Grandfather was never a farmer he worked most of his life at the then Husky Oil Refinery in Cheyenne Wyoming and his loyalty was to IH pickups and Oldsmobile cars. He would not entertain anything else. when he retired he bought his last truck in 1974 and special ordered it with everything he wanted the largest gas motor he could get and manual transmission with granny low and overdrive ~ He even had it painted to match his brand new 45′ fifth wheel camper. He used that truck to pull that camper to 49 states and Canada and once to Mexico . When they quit making them at IH he quit buying them new and just kept fixing his , where he would keep buying a new truck every 5 years now he was just reparing whatever needed fixin’ 4 new motors direct from IH ( or whoever built them for IH) 5 new clutch sets 1 new transmission and 1 new rear-end.. and he pulled that camper from San Antonio to Minit North Dakota to work building a oil Refinery at 79 years old working through the North Dakota winter for 2 years at age 81 he required a quadruple bypass and drove the truck back to San Antonio to have the procedure done while driving around Tulsa I think that old truck rolled over 1 million miles. He went up to minot one last time in that truck to pull the 5th wheel home and sold the camper at age 92 and when he found our Oldsmobile was being killed off he decided he was done driving and tried to sell both his vehicles
the Olds sold quickly however the IH did not draw much attention ( mostly due to the fact the bed of the truck and tailgate needed to be replaced from being a 30+ year old WORK horse ,although never in a wreck, was pretty beat up from the cab back it did finally sell for $500.00 My grandfather passed at 104 in 2014 from his 3 rd major stroke in 2 years , sadly I was not able to I keep the truck in the family I wish I had !
I can say this example is not far off from how my Papa’s did when he sold it,
So the AP in my opinion is quite a bit over priced
I admire your grandfather’s dedication. We had some people out in the Chinook Belt who were just as loyal. I had a friend in Cutbank who had a similar attitude with ‘65 and ‘66 GMC/Chevy 3/4 ton trucks. He hated the design change in ‘67 and made up his mind that he would drive a ‘65-‘66 model GM for the rest of his life. He owned (3) of them until he passed back in ‘17 at the age of 88…
That one sure is nice.
I got a 75 international 4×4 3/4 ton got a 392 got the divorce transfer case standard transmission disc brakes front it’s blue two-tone blue it was my grandpa’s I drove it for a little while after he passed away and parked it it’s got a few little issues with the body straight and all original you seem to really like these trucks I might be persuaded to sell it at the price was right .
What Geomechs & JohnfromSC said: Lots of these tough trucks in Eastern Oregon farm country where I grew up. Want to buy one? Go to the same small town dealer that you bought the IHC combine from last year and the big red tractor from 5 years ago. :-) Terry J
It looks like the rust monster is sneaking up from behind.
Could it be possible that IH sold a Class 8 truck for
$50,000. and sold a pickup for only $12,000. new
and that is why they dropped the PU line?
Back in ‘75 $12K bought you a top of the line light duty truck from almost any builder. We sold a GMC 2500 Suburban 4×4 fully loaded for less than that. A relative bought a ‘75 Ford LT 9000 DEP trim, Sleeper/318 DDA/RTO9513 pretty much as loaded as you could get back then and it was in the mid $30K, off the lot. Our GMC JJ9500 was rather spartan at $27K. It seems to me that back in ‘75 you could get a completely loaded Class 8 for less than $50K. Of course it didn’t take long to put $10K worth of chrome and wheels on it. But IMHO a truck dealer could sell 5 light trucks to one Class 8. Profit margins were always around the 10% mark for either one. I might add that margins increased with the number of options and accessories sold…
I learned to drive in an IH truck, first on my grandpa’s lap, then when I was old enough to reach the pedals, he pointed me in the direction of the back 40 & said have at it. If you get stuck, walk back to the farm house, and I’ll come pull you out. He always had 2 trucks, a plow & a go to town. He loved the IH, though he said it didn’t matter if he had a cord & a half of firewood in the back or empty, it only got 8 MPG. His farm was the spot where my 6 uncles dropped all their old cars, there was early 60’s GMC pick up that one uncle left before going to Vietnam (which I always wanted ) a mercury bobcat, some little red foreign job an uncle picked up in Germany in the army. My cousin’s grandfather owned the farm on the other side of the county road, deep in his woods he had an old model T rusting in the ferns. It was a great place to grow up. If anyone has ever played the newberry MI country club golf course, you’ve played on our grandpas properties. I miss those cars, properties & old men. Not many like them left in this world.
I still drive my Grandfather’s 1957 S-120…rebuilt the engine in HS shop in ’78 and had it repainted in ’78 also.
Comfortable driving speed is 45 mph, so road trips are out of the question. Fun truck. Easy to work on too!
I’m sure that half the guys on this page have heard this story but I’ll tell it anyway. My Dad was a progressive rancher and when IH first sold the S120 as a 4×4 Dad bought one right away. Worked good when it worked but the trouble was it spent more time in the shop than being used. In ’59 Dad was fedup with 4x4s, thinking that they were more trouble than they were worth so he traded the S-120 in for a B-120 2WD. Well, it started to beat a regular trail to the shop in town just like the 4×4 and Dad was getting kind of fedup with Binders. One day Dad and the hands were working cattle at the corrals a couple miles south of the buildings. A customer of Dad’s had a calving emergency and drove out to get Dad (Dad was also a veterinarian). He took Dad to his farm where Dad looked after the cow then brought him back to the ranch. The boys were back from working cattle but Dad’s horse was still down at the corrals. The ranch foreman, CACTUS, we called him, drove Dad to the corrals in the B-120. Those three miles were probably similar to the Baja 1000 because Cactus had the pedal to the floor, across the rough prairie. There were times they were airborne. Dad finally ordered Cactus to slow the hell down which he reluctantly did. Dad finally realized that the fault wasn’t with either one of the trucks but CACTUS! He could destroy anything that wasn’t covered with hair. On a footnote: The S-120 was picked up by a rancher out east near the Sweetgrass Hills. The family still runs that truck daily. I put an engine rebuild/clutch/driveline kit together for it a few years back. The second owner is gone now (like my Dad, off to some cattle ranch beyond the horizon) but the family still carries on as ranchers do…
As I said, Eastern Oregon farm country was home to a host of Corn Binders back in the day (50’s 60’s 70s). A normal sight was a pickup with the exhaust pipes and mufflers run as stacks right off the manifolds and up and out the top the of the front fenders. Brand new trucks would get this modification immediately. If you have ever seen a wheat fire you’d understand why. Terrifying. On a broad front the fast moving fire would draw in oxygen behind it that created a horizontal rolling cyclone. One day old Earnie got trapped between an advancing fire and the impassable end of the field so he turned around and at high speed broke through the flames. He didn’t think that behind the flames there was no air to breath for him or his truck. :-( Terry J
Not good! Fires are scary. A prairie fire all but wiped out the ranch buildings (where I was raised) just about 10 years ago. It ran for something like 47 miles before they got it under control. I hope all turned out well in your case.
A customer of mine bought a ’60 B-170 that came from your part of the country. It had the exhaust running up through the fender. He ran it for a few years then sold it to another customer who is going to reroute the pipe down where it usually goes. He’ll be using it to ferry his prize ’60 IH pickup from show to show…
I have a 1975 200 4×4 that looks similar, only mine has 4×4 with automatic locking hubs and a 345. If this is original, the grill is correct for a 74/75, and the other way to tell would be to check out the exhaust manifolds. If they are rear-dump, then it is definitely a 74/75. I am from Maryland as well, and it’s rare to see one of these in the wild. I have never seen one while driving around the State. I did find a 74 200 2×4 near Richmond that I am using for parts. It luckily had immaculate inner fenders, another impossibility around here. There is a 1974 200 4×4 posted on craigslist in Delaware right now for $9,000. The purchase price is quite inflated for this one, but they are increasing in value, and again, very rare in this part of the world. These trucks are absolute tanks.
Auction update: this one ended with no bids and no sale.
Hello folks,
The d200 at the beginning of the thread is mine, have owned it since 2018. Yes a lot of mechanical work has been done, so the truck rides very nice. Was curious about the value when it was listed, however really didn’t want to sell it.
Good eye on passenger side body, had it at IH Scout in PA, he did a thorough job going through the truck and we determined that there must have been some body work on the bed area, which was not prepped properly prior to painting (a red layer is under white). The majority of other the body rust is superficial, and did not occur until I pressure washed it back in 2018 ( won’t do that again). Correct around the windshield and driver door jam needs rust attention soon, we think the windshield rust is due to poor factory prep. She is garage kept now, and I keep the rust oiled to minimize it getting worse.
Would really like to learn more about the history of the vehicle’s, etc., you guys are right on track, technically I am the 2nd owner. Person I bought it from watched this truck drive past his house for decades, and finally made an offer to the farmer who parked it due to rust in the tanks. It was parked until I bought and shipped it from WA., state to the East coast.