Fahr began developing its combine harvester in 1938 with rather unconventional solutions. The threshing mechanism was mounted transversely. The first prototypes were pull-type combines equipped with an auxiliary engine. As wartime delays slowed development, work progressed toward a self-propelled model. In that design, drive was handled by the rear axle, and a single steering wheel was placed at the front.

The first model to reach production did not appear until 1951. The Fahr MD 1 was still rear-wheel-drive and three-wheeled, but its threshing mechanism was mounted longitudinally to allow for a longer threshing drum. Its gasoline engine produced 30 horsepower, and it had a cutting width of 210 cm. Only ten MD 1 units were built. Based on those experiences, major changes were made for the following year, and the company abandoned many of its earlier original solutions. On the MD 2, the driving axle was moved to the front. The engine was now a 45 hp diesel and was positioned on the left side at the rear. Forty of this model were produced.

In 1953 and 1954, the MD 3 was in production, featuring only minor improvements over its predecessor. The small drive wheels were enlarged, and power was increased to 48 hp. There were five gears and no other speed-control options. The width of the threshing drum and concave was 150 cm, while the sieve measured 100 cm. More than 200 units of the MD 3 were built.

In 1954, the MD 4 and the more popular MD 4 St were introduced. Their most significant innovation was a hydrostatic variator for travel speed, which allowed a two-speed gearbox to suffice. A variator was also added for adjusting the threshing-drum speed. The cutting width was increased to 220 cm. A total of 226 of these models had been produced by 1958.

In 1955, the MD 5 was unveiled above the MD 4 series, featuring a 244 cm cutting width. Its header was redesigned—for example, the crop reel now had six bats instead of three and could be lifted hydraulically to 80 cm height rather than mechanically to 55 cm, and the canvas conveyor was replaced by a feed drum and straw walker. By 1958, 294 units of the MD 5 and its reinforced version, the MD 5 A, had been manufactured.

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