The Farmall FC’s public debut was in the 2025 Putāruru Christmas Parade, pulling the St Mary’s Catholic School nativity scene float. Photo / Catherine Fry
The Farmall FC’s public debut was in the 2025 Putāruru Christmas Parade, pulling the St Mary’s Catholic School nativity scene float. Photo / Catherine Fry
Red tractors have always held a special place in the heart of Putāruru’s Chris van Heuven.
They take him back to childhood days spent on dairy farms in Matamata, Waitoa and, from the age of 8, Tīrau.
A builder by trade, Van Heuven eventually found his way back to farming.
Today, he and his young family live on the 168‑hectare farm he contract milks for his parents, running 500 cows and sharing 50/50 ownership of the land.
“I remember my Opa always wearing an International cap when I was a child, and Dad always had International tractors too,” he said.
The tractor, built in France in 1953, runs a two‑litre, four‑cylinder petrol engine.
It has four forward gears, one reverse and puts out a modest 25 horsepower.
What caught Van Heuven’s eye, however, was its unusual configuration: a front-end loader paired with a grader blade mounted underneath.
The 1953 Farmall FC viewed from the back – the seat is not original. Photo / Catherine Fry
Andrew Higgins, the previous owner, explained how the machine came to be.
“It was bought as two tractors in the 1990s – one with the loader, one with the grader – and then combined into one using the best parts from each,” he said.
