Styled by Raymond Loewy,[1][2] it was one of International Harvester's "letter series", with 117,522 produced over the 8-year run, replacing the Farmall F-14.

[3] The Farmall A is equipped with the F-14's International Harvester C113 4-cylinder inline overhead valve engine, with a 113-cubic-inch (1,850-cubic-centimetre) displacement.

The A featured a wide front wheel track with an offset engine, intended to allow for a better view ahead and branded "Cultivision.

The offset engine benefited front-mounted cultivators, compared with the towed equipment used by competing Ford-Ferguson tractors.

[3] As with other Farmall letter-series tractors, the design featured an integral frame and unitary construction, allowing entire assemblies to be replaced.

[5] The AV hiboy variant, with 5 inches (13 cm) more clearance, was intended for vegetable crops, and the International A (or AI) for industrial use.

The International A featured a foot throttle and a heavier front axle, and was chiefly used as a mower.

[10] From 1947 to 1954, International Harvester produced the Farmall Super A, with the same engine displacement, but with a hydraulic lift system.

[20] Comparable products to the A included the Ford 9N, Allis-Chalmers C, John Deere H, and Case VC.