The new styling abandoned the Raymond Loewy styling of the letter series in favor of a squared-off look that was retained until the end of the Farmall product run.The new tractors could be adapted to operate on gasoline, kerosene, LP gas, and distillate fuels, and a diesel engine option was offered for each.

The larger engines were combined with the essentially unaltered powertrain of the earlier models, producing immediate problems with reliability, particularly with the 560, resulting in a public relations problem for International Harvester, and requiring replacement with new, redesigned powertrain components as part of a massive recall effort.

Successor to the Farmall 350 series, it was part of the line of medium tractors originating with the Farmall H. Like the 350, it was rated for three plows, but the 460 had a larger six-cylinder 55-horsepower (41 kW) gasoline or liquid petroleum gas engine with a displacement of 221 cubic inches (3,620 cubic centimetres), powering a five forward gear and one reverse gear torque amplifier transmission, with an optional 10-speed transmission.

Other components carried over from earlier lines caused reliability problems, harming International Harvester's reputation and market position.

[7][1][8] The 560 was rated for five plows, using six-cylinder 66-horsepower (49 kW) gasoline or liquid petroleum gas engine with a displacement of 263 cubic inches (4,310 cubic centimetres), powering a five forward gear and one reverse sliding gear torque amplifier transmission, with an optional 10-speed transmission.

It was a heavy general-purpose tractor whose lineage was more closely aligned with the McCormick-Deering W-9, and was the successor to the International Harvester 650.