International Harvester Axial-Flow Combine Development. Episode 2: The Battles of a Giant Series

In this second episode, author Lee Klancher and several former IH leaders talk about the development and impact of the Axial-Flow combine. This segment features IH leaders Don Watt, Gerry Salzman, Kelly Kravig, and Don Murray. The axial-flow combine used a rotor rather than a cylinder to separate crops, and development of this technology was incredibly complex and difficult. The machine was a much-needed boost for the old giant International Harvester, who was lagging behind John Deere in this era. The "Battles of a Giant" Video Series covers IH in the 1970s and 1980s.

BATTLES OF A GIANT EPISODE LIST
Episode One – International 1970s Four-Wheel-Drive Tractor Market
Episode Two – The Axial Flow Combine
Episode Three – 1977: International Harvester’s New Leader, Archie McCardell
Episode Four – The International 2+2 Launch: The 3388 and 3588 Emerge
Episode Five – Tractor Spies
Episode Six – Behind the Scenes at FEREC: International Harvester’s Engineering Research Center
Episode Seven – 1979: Gearing up for Good Times & Charging Into Bad
Episode Eight – The New Number One – The 1982 50 Series Launch
Episode Nine – The Last Days of International Harvester

ABOUT THE SERIES
In this series of videos, author Lee Klancher and several former International Harvester leaders--Vaughn Allen, Kelly Kravig, Gerry Salzman, and Don Watt--will delve into the cataclysm of forces that drove IH to develop an incredible array of new technology while facing the brink of bankruptcy. Travel from the heady days of the Axial-Flow introduction and the boom of ’79, into the dawn of the farm crisis. This was the most dynamic and challenging time in IH history, and Lee and his guests will take you back with photos and clips from the time period. Don’t miss this enlightening hour that provides context to why International Harvester failed in 1984—as well as the technology that was built during the time that would help build the Magnum tractor.

This presentation was recorded at the IHCC Winter Convention in Fort Worth, Texas held on March 6th, 2025.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Lee Klancher is an award-winning author and photographer, and the publisher and founder of Octane Press.

Kelly Kravig logged more than 40 years as a marketing specialist and marketing executive for Steiger, International Harvester, and CNH. He retired from CNH in 2024. He was heavily involved in supporting custom harvesters, and was added to the U.S. Custom Harvesters Hall of Fame in 2022. Kravig’s deep love of history and natural gift for archiving has made him an invaluable contributor of images and stories to all three of the Red Tractors series books.

PANELISTS BELOW WILL BE FEATURED IN THE REST OF THE EPISODES
Vaughn Allen began his career with International Harvester Company in 1972, holding various field positions in Kansas and Nebraska before being promoted to Regional Service Manager in Kansas City in 1976. In 1979, he accepted a position in Chicago World headquarters as Director of Ag Division Service Sales and in 1988 joined the Truck Division where he held various executive positions. In 2013 after nearly 45 years of service, he retired as Vice President of Global Service Operations. Vaughn and his wife, Nancy, have three married children and five grandchildren. They returned to Kansas City in 2019, where Vaughn spends time on his farm and history projects with the company historian.

Gerry Salzman retired from Case IH in 2014 as Senior Director, Global Marketing, after 42 years of service with International Harvester and Case IH. In his final role with Case IH, Gerry was responsible for all worldwide product marketing activities for Case IH harvesting equipment. He also is a patent award recipient. Salzman has served on the U.S. Grains Council and the Agri-Business Forum. In 2012, Salzman received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Council and was only the sixth recipient in 50 years to be recognized. As a graduate of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program, he was honored with the inaugural Torch of Leadership award in 2014. In 2020, Gerry received the Distinguished Alumni recognition from the Western Illinois University School of Agriculture. Salzman holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Western Illinois University. He served six years in the U.S. Army Reserves. In 2015, he co-authored the book Red Combines with Lee Klancher. Gerry and Judy have two children, Amanda, Adam and five grandchildren.

Don Watt invested 46 years at International Harvester, Case Corp, and CNH, mainly as Chief Engineer for Axial Flow Combines. He led the teams responsible for development and capital costs, program timing, and product reliability. In his last role at CNH, Don was the Global Platform Manager for mid-range Axial Flow combines, overseeing the development and lifecycle of the product range with production in multiple countries