The C was developed from the Farmall B as a slightly larger, more versatile implement, raising and moving the B's offset operator seat to the centerline and increasing the wheel size to allow a straight, widely-adjustable rear axle.

Introduction was delayed by World War II until 1948, when it was designated the Farmall C.[4] The C is equipped with an International Harvester inline overhead-valve 4-cylinder engine with 123-cubic-inch (2,020-cubic-centimetre) displacement.

The sliding-gear transmission has five total gears: four forward and one reverse.The Farmall C replaced the Farmall B, doing away with the offset operator's position and the B's geared portal axle in favor of a straight, splined rear axle with a much greater range of adjustment.

[5][6][3][7] From 1951 to 1954, International Harvester produced the Farmall Super C, with the a 26 horsepower (19 kW) 123-cubic-inch (2,020-cubic-centimetre) IH C123 engine.

[10][11] The 200 introduced an option called "Hydra-Creeper", where the transmission could be powered by a hydrostatic drive, allowing for a "creep mode" at about 0.25 miles per hour (0.40 km/h) from transplanting operations.

It was restyled to match the new squared-off look of larger tractors in the Farmall line, and the operator position was adjusted.