Wednesday, June 4, 2008

1938 Minneapolis Moline Model UDLX





2nd pair of images from

Years ahead of its time, the UDLX (ultra deluxe) featured the first factory built tractor cab with radio, cigar lighter, heater, hub caps, and paneling. Other features included 40 mph road gear, headlights, and even a license plate. Only about 125 were built. They sold for $1,800, double what other tractors sold for at the time. Some were used by custom combine operators in wheat country, others saw service delivering mail in the winter on snow-clogged northern rural roads. The last page in Haggerty Ins Co monthly mini magazine about autorelated stuff had a great write up on this 1938 tractor that was a response to the growing trend of farmers who were using the family car as a tractor, or vice versa... due to the costs of having two vehicles, etc etc. I've posted the photo of the midnight joyride where some teens were goofing off with a early ford car that was attached to a tractor like device that used the Ford as the engine, but the device provided the tractor tires, etc.