My tractor story starts back in 1958 when my great grandfather Gilbert Arnold owner of Arnoldwold farms purchased a international W450. At the time it was the biggest tractor for 100km’s in the area of Grenville, Quebec Canada. It handled a 5 bottom plow with ease back then, that was big since everyone else only had a 2 bottom plow. My dad remembers people talking about when it was off loaded from the train yard and how they had to put the rear tires back on, because it wouldn’t fit on the train car. Then the W450 was used until the motor died and was parked in the machine graveyard for 15 years. Until one sunny spring day of 1981, after our international W400 died out my dad (Thomas Arnold) decided to get the old girl running again. I still remember him telling me with a smile on his face, “the first thing I had to do was cut the trees that had grown threw and around it“. The biggest one being around 6 inches in diameter. After cutting about a half a cord of wood it was dragged to the shop and fuel was poured down the intake and exhaust and left on the side to soak. By late fall early winter it was time to see if the W450 would turn over. It was hooked to a case 4 wheel drive and dragged around the yard. One way or another it was going to turn and it did. That winter in below 30 Celsius my dad and the mechanic rebuilt the motor. They used that tractor for almost everything, bailing 20 000 square bails a year, to brush cutting and to pull out the case 4 wheel drive when it got stuck. And from the stories I heard it got stuck a lot. Mind you they had to put another tractor (W400) on the front of the W450 to keep the front wheels on the ground, but it would pull it out every time. In 1988 my grandfather passed away and the family sold everything. For some reason they kept the international hidden away in the barn. I remember when I was a kid going to visit my grandmother and running to the barn and just sitting there starring at it for hours at a time. Thinking about how it worked, remembering all the stories my dad told me about it. Hoping maybe one day I’ll be able to drive it like my father did before me. 10 years later my dad and I went and brought the W450 to her new home. A battery, gas and diesel was all she needed. (Starts on gas for about 1 minute and then you switch it over to diesel). I still remember like if it was yesterday standing on the back with my brother and my dad driving it back home. We give her a good washing changed the oils, fuel and fuel filters. Then my dad comes out of the house and hands me some books. The operators and service manuals the only thing I remember him saying was read before u drive. Its funny he still does that to this day. (My father owns a construction company). Then in 2010 I went to my first tractor pull. Seeing all the antiques tractors pull got me thinking of the W450 at home. That night I was introduced to a man named Scott Lees (President of the Lachute Fair). We got talking about tractors he told me what he had (john deere 2510 50 hp) I told him what I had (international W450 50 hp). He was like you should bring it down for the farm stock the next morning so I can beat it with my john deere. I looked at him and smiled. I told him I would try and get her started in the morning. W450 was sitting outside for about 4 years, wasn’t like it was going to rust, there wasn’t anymore paint. Just like last time a battery, gas and diesel was all she needed. I loaded W450 on the float and brought her down. I still remember the look on Scott Lees face when I drove in and he saw the W450 for the first time. It was the look of fear. Fear because we were in the same class. That day I beat Scott and his 2510 easy and won first and second place and was hooked, second place was in the 60 hp class. That winter I brought the W450 in and did a complete restoration, which lasted almost 2 months. Making sure I got every little detail just perfect. Steiners was a big help in this process from gauges to stickers, hoses to switches and now finally the tachometer. I was able to get everything I needed to make my dream and my dads (he won’t admit to it) come true. I did everything I could to put the W450 back to the day my great grandfather purchased her new.
Jason Arnold
Quebec, Canada
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