The Shocking Truth About the IH DT-466, the Engine Too Hot For Its Own Good

CHAPTERS
00:54 - The Horsepower Wars of the 1970s
02:28 - Introducing the DT-466
04:53 - What Went Wrong in the Early Years
06:55 - Stories From the Field
09:29 - Reputation and Backlash
11:42 - What IH Could Have Done Differently
15:10 - The DT-466 Redeemed

The 1970s farm belt was a battlefield—but the weapons weren’t tanks or missiles. They were tractors. International Harvester, John Deere, and Allis-Chalmers were locked in what farmers still call “The Horsepower Wars,” a high-stakes race to dominate American agriculture. Every year brought bigger, bolder machines, each promising to help farmers work more acres in less time.

But in the race for raw power, things didn’t always go as planned—and when manufacturers pushed the limits too far, it was farmers who paid the price.

Today, we’re diving into the untold story of one of the most respected diesel engines ever built: the International Harvester DT-466. Though it would go on to earn a legendary reputation in trucks and equipment, its early turbocharged versions left many farmers with costly breakdowns and unfinished fields.

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