Tractor Watching

   / Tractor Watching #1  

daugen

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Joined
Feb 27, 2012
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19,049
Location
New Hope PA
Tractor
in between now
And boy did I just see a doozy. On the back of a flatbed, coming out of a local bodyshop.
Totally empty, no windows, tires, dash, just the shiniest yellow strange looking truck frame, looking like an
a street rod with insane rear tires. But it wasn't a car at all. But a really cool tractor I had seen in one of my
tractor picture books, but had never seen myself. A 1938 Minneapolis Moline UDLX. One very strange tractor, and maybe
the first cab tractor.

My wife looked at it and said it was a very strange looking truck. Yup.
I'll probably never see one again.

But he was headed North into Upper Bucks County, so looks like someone up there has got a very cool restoration project going.

I'll rubberneck for any old Farmall or Deere, but this one almost got me honked at for slowing down.
 

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   / Tractor Watching #2  
Wow, really cool!
 
   / Tractor Watching #3  
If you find some old advertisements Minneapolis/Moline sold that tractor as a "work all day and drive to town on Saturday night". From a time when it would take all the spare money you had to buy a tractor and then could not afford a car. If you were a farmer you needed a tractor and wanted a car. Minneapolis Moline solved the problem.

Here is a link to Tractor Data on the tractor.

TractorData.com Minneapolis-Moline UDLX Comfortractor tractor information
 
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   / Tractor Watching
  • Thread Starter
#4  
no brakes on front, 40mph alleged top speed, manual drum brakes on rear.
Stopping must have been an interesting experience.
And my guess is it did poorly at being a tractor or a truck, too many compromises, but
has anyone here ever driven one?
 
   / Tractor Watching #5  
A local farmer here bought one of those from out in Iowa, probabaly at least 10 years ago. Paid $25,000.00 in unrestored shape. Not sure if he got it completely restored, before he found out he had cancer. I do know the rear door(s) were not on it when I saw it at a local show. After his passing, his son sold it for $125,000.00, then put the money into grain bins for the farming operation he inherited.

Pretty saavy, for a young man that had just graduated from High School.

And most common use for the UDLX...?? Rural mail carriers, in the Heartland...
 
   / Tractor Watching
  • Thread Starter
#6  
And most common use for the UDLX...?? Rural mail carriers, in the Heartland...

Wow, talk about traction...put some serious "snow tires" on the rear and that thing could go anywhere, plus
put a plow on front. I bet it was very high effort to drive and had a very stiff ride.

Now if this painted frame that passed me wasn't so valuable, man would that make a cool street rod.
And all original...sort of. and put in power steering and a auto trans while you're at it...
Nice shock absorbing Recaros, surround Bose, aahhh, we be cruisin', through the town and
down the rows.
 
   / Tractor Watching #7  
Good Mornin Drew,
I also have seen that in one of my old tractor books. I think one of the original advertisements mentioned farming with it during the week and taking the family to church on sunday...

Quite universal and really unique ! :)
 
   / Tractor Watching #8  
The "Legendary Farm Tractors" said only 125 were sold so they are really rare. Despite the fact that they were advanced in style, they were "Old Fashioned" in features such as no belt PTO and no hydraulics. Most important they had no springs so the ride was harsh on the roads.
 
   / Tractor Watching
  • Thread Starter
#9  
any of you sharp eyed folk notice the spec on the rear tires? Modern radials. No way they had a radial tire back then.
Let's see, radial tires on the rear, no suspension, and bias ply front tires. Man that must have had some strange ride motions
and steering wiggles. Just hard to imagine this would be controllable much over 20mph...
Sure beat walking.
 
   / Tractor Watching
  • Thread Starter
#10  
In the theme of tractor watching, which is always a fine use of time...,
my oldest and best friend retired to Milton DE. Not too far from the Bay and Ocean, but also
surrounded by farms. And house farms.

Nothing unusual so far. Except here I am, stuck in suburbia, still..., while my friend, who thankfully is a good
photographer, has an amazing show right out his back yard. He and his wife made some nice raised gardens in their rear yard,
and boy those tractors sure come close. So when he hears or sees something interesting out back, my friend always takes pics for me.
And these aren't just any old little Kubotas, these are serious 8 and 9 series JD, similar in red, and a big water irrigator that makes a wonderful perch
for local birds.

So I get to watch tractors, but not out my back window. Yet...
Perhaps I am just easily amused but I thought you would like to see these.
When I go visit my friend, he shows me the videos he's taken, a few of which are on YouTube.
As the tractor barely slows down at the end of the row, dust clouds behind it, well it's fun to watch.
Not breath though, and that's a real problem for my friends, who now better understand what it means to
have a working farm right next to them. Lots of chemicals nearby, and he's a retired Health Dept head.
Lots of filters on his water system for sure. So life is never perfect, but the tractors never fail to delight.
 

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