Leading U.S. truck manufacturer.
It originated as International Harvester Co., which was incorporated in 1902, merging McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. (founded by Cyrus H. McCormick to market his mechanical reaper) with four smaller machinery makers. It became a pioneer in motorized trucks when it introduced its high-wheeled "auto wagons" for farmers. It began producing tractors in the 1930s and soon became a major manufacturer of earth-moving equipment. Facing economic difficulties in the early 1980s, it sold most of its U.S. construction-equipment business and disposed of its farm-equipment line to concentrate almost entirely on trucks, and in 1986 the company changed its name to Navistar International.