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.
Chris van Heuven’s Farmall FC has a Hamilton-built front loader. Photo / Catherine Fry
The rebuilt tractor was used on a small farm primarily for topdressing, shovelling manure into spreader tractors, and occasional grading work.
Higgins said the loader was originally designed for loading aircraft, before he modified it for farming.
The Farmall FC is unusual in being fitted with a grader. Photo / Catherine Fry
“In the 1950s, this would have been a pretty advanced tractor – able to handle a variety of jobs on-farm,” Van Heuven added.
The grader can lift, lower and swivel to change its angle, allowing it to function much like a small road grader.
A third hydraulic linkage offers capacity for an additional attachment if needed.
