The Minneapolis-Moline U was one of the company’s most popular tractor series. Its best-known member, the UDLX Comfortractor of 1938, pioneered the closed-cab farm tractor and was offered with a passenger seat, a heater, a cigarette lighter and even a radio.
Minneapolis-Moline U at a glance
| Maker | Minneapolis-Moline Power Implement Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Series | U, introduced 1938 |
| U-series variants | UTU, UTS, UTL, UDU, UOPL, UB, UTIL, UT |
| Best-known model | UDLX Comfortractor (Model U Deluxe), 1938 |
| Engine (UDLX) | four-cylinder 283 cu in (4,637 cc) KED petrol, 46 hp |
| Gearbox (UDLX) | five forward, one reverse |
| Top speed (UDLX) | 40 mph |
| Cab (UDLX) | enclosed, with a passenger seat and a large rear door |
| Equipment (UDLX) | heater, radio, cigarette lighter, ashtray, clock, speedometer, sun visor |
| Finish (UDLX) | Prairie-Gold paint, chromed bumper and hubcaps |
| Price (UDLX, 1938) | US$2,155, about twice a Farmall or John Deere |
| Built (UDLX) | 125, production 1938–1941 |
| British assembly | UDS from 1946 at £1,050; Meadows diesel UDM from 1948 at £1,200 |
Based on the English Wikipedia article on Minneapolis-Moline; model figures are given only where that source records them.
History of the Minneapolis-Moline U
Minneapolis-Moline was formed in 1929 by the merger of three companies: Minneapolis Steel & Machinery, known for Twin City tractors; the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, which built Minneapolis tractors; and the Moline Implement Company, formerly the Moline Plow Company. The new firm, first called the Minneapolis-Moline Power Implement Company and later the Minneapolis-Moline Company, had works on Lake Street at Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis, in Hopkins, Minnesota, and in Moline, Illinois.
In 1938 the company pioneered the closed-cab farm tractor with the UDLX Comfortractor, also called the Model U Deluxe. It had flowing enclosing bodywork and an all-weather cabin with a passenger seat, the idea being that the farmer and his wife would ride in comfort; entry was by a large rear door. The body was painted in the bright Prairie-Gold colour, with a chromed bumper and hubcaps, and the equipment list read like a car’s: safety-glass windscreen, windscreen wipers, electric starter, speedometer, clock, sun visor and rear-view mirror, plus tractor firsts such as a heater, cigarette lighter, ashtray and radio. The 2.9-ton tractor was powered by a high-compression four-cylinder 283 cu in (4,637 cc) KED petrol engine producing 46 hp, driving a five-speed gearbox for a top speed of 40 mph.
The UDLX sold poorly. At US$2,155 in 1938 it cost about double a Farmall or a John Deere, and a general recession that began that year hit sales of durable goods across the board. Only 125 were built before production stopped in 1941. The U series itself was one of Minneapolis-Moline’s most popular, and it saw a number of variants, including the UTU, UTS, UTL, UDU, UOPL, UB, UTIL and UT.
Between 1946 and 1949 the company also offered two U-series tractors assembled in Great Britain: the UDS, which appeared in 1946 at £1,050, and the Meadows diesel-powered UDM, introduced in 1948 at £1,200. Both were too expensive for the British market and, after poor sales, production stopped in 1949.
Design and features
- Enclosed cab: the UDLX pioneered the closed-cab farm tractor in 1938, with a passenger seat and a large rear door.
- Car-like equipment: electric starter, speedometer, clock, sun visor, rear-view mirror, heater, cigarette lighter, ashtray and radio.
- Strong petrol engine: a 283 cu in (4,637 cc) four-cylinder KED unit of 46 hp, giving a 40 mph top speed through a five-speed gearbox.
- Prairie-Gold finish: bright paint with chromed bumper and hubcaps, unlike any workaday tractor of the time.
- Many variants: UTU, UTS, UTL, UDU, UOPL, UB, UTIL and UT, plus the British-assembled UDS and UDM.
Minneapolis-Moline U versions
- UDLX Comfortractor (1938–1941): the closed-cab Model U Deluxe, 125 built.
- UTU, UTS, UTL, UDU, UOPL, UB, UTIL and UT: the U-series variants listed in the company history.
- UDS (1946–1949): a U-series tractor assembled in Britain at £1,050.
- UDM (1948–1949): the British-assembled version with a Meadows diesel engine, £1,200.
The UTS was another member of the same family, and the later four-cylinder line is described on the Z page. More tractors are in the Minneapolis-Moline collection.
Video: FarmGirl has Full Pull on Minneapolis-Moline U Tractor
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Minneapolis-Moline, English Wikipedia: company history, U series, UDLX, British assembly
