I agree with most of the reasoning in the original post. I would like to add that for other than us devoted tractor guys there would be little demand for the tractors that had the classic features we all remember. A "new" H or M could not be built in the classic mold of the ones from over a half century ago. To get the building cost down to where they would have more appeal would most likely building them outside of North America which would affect the appeal.
Many things contributed to IH's down fall. The 560 was fairly minor in the scheme of things. Had the 560 been flawless it was at a disadvantage against a fair amount of its competition. Deere correctly guessed the movement in the volume of the market in terms of HP. Deere put the best of its ideas in the 4010 which was a booming class HP wise. Had Deere done different such as putting the best of its research in the low HP tractors Deere might have become an also ran and its best products folded into a company such as AGCO after the 1970's farm boom ended. Deere also understood the role of financing and its effect on getting product sold. When inflation became horrible during the late 1970's Deere was at an advantage because it only had the immediate costs of offering financing versus being a borrower to another firm and having to tack those costs onto other costs. IH from what I have been told by those who worked on the corporate level there that the vision was anything but unified from the early 1960's onward and a widening rift with labor did not help things.
Enjoy IH for what they were and the classic products we have come to love. The IH of 40, 50, or 60 years ago is not coming back.
Many things contributed to IH's down fall. The 560 was fairly minor in the scheme of things. Had the 560 been flawless it was at a disadvantage against a fair amount of its competition. Deere correctly guessed the movement in the volume of the market in terms of HP. Deere put the best of its ideas in the 4010 which was a booming class HP wise. Had Deere done different such as putting the best of its research in the low HP tractors Deere might have become an also ran and its best products folded into a company such as AGCO after the 1970's farm boom ended. Deere also understood the role of financing and its effect on getting product sold. When inflation became horrible during the late 1970's Deere was at an advantage because it only had the immediate costs of offering financing versus being a borrower to another firm and having to tack those costs onto other costs. IH from what I have been told by those who worked on the corporate level there that the vision was anything but unified from the early 1960's onward and a widening rift with labor did not help things.
Enjoy IH for what they were and the classic products we have come to love. The IH of 40, 50, or 60 years ago is not coming back.