The Minneapolis-Moline UDLX "Comfort Tractor" Walkaround - Designs That Were Ahead of Their Time...

Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @squatch253

[@kylechrist]

The amazing part to me is that the sheetmetal is still in tact, especially around the rear wheels where the fenders are rather close. How those pieces are still around and didn't end up seeing a torch is almost earth shattering

[@maggs131]

Unless this was in climate controlled storage all its life I have a hard time believing its original. It's possible these never saw hard work but still.

[@SamMaass-s5h]

Someone must have kept it out of the elements.

[@PTC61]

Minneapolis Moline was sure they were really onto something special with the UDLX. About 20 years ago, I was staying at a resort in northern Minnesota that it turns out was owned by the son and grandson of past presidents of Minneapolis Moline. I figured this out one morning when watching him grade the driveway in a mint 445 with a back blade . I couldn’t resist talking to him to find out about the 445 and he told me why he had it. This led to a longer conversation and eventually ended on the UDLX. While it was being developed, Grandpa was the president. They wanted to keep its development super secret away from competitors. Therefore his grandfather sent his father via train along with a UDLX covered in canvas to the Nevada desert. Even in the Nevada desert, the UDLX was still covered in canvas, until after midnight when they could uncover it and do field trials on it in the sand.

[@KennyKizzleRustyNutzRanch]

Always a pleasure seeing the UDLX and the UTOX. If you haven't been out to the Moline apartment complex in Hopkins, I highly recommend checking it out. Only a few tractors, but a few VERY RARE MM tractors reside in the lobby in what is a 'mini museum'. I had the opportunity to see UDLX #1 at the Root River show a number of years ago. Very cool tractors.

[@KubotaManDan]

In Germany there were many Mfg's of this tractor/car model. A family could use it for the farm & still drive to town for essentials. Thanks for showing these to us.

[@antoniolepore6875]

awsome walk around! going to the drive-in theatre after pulling the manure spreader is absolute convenience with this tractor!

[@tcsmith4838]

Gosh that udlo is really something an “orchard tractor roadster” that il do 40!!, I had no idea that existed really a handsome tractor

[@rickyjessome4359]

Thanks for the video Squatch! I loved the look of those tractors when I was a kid. Definitely neat machines. Cheers

[@motominded5275]

This is the goofiest looking thing Ive ever seen...and I love it. Still confused at whom this would be marketed for, the high end chrome and nicer pieces seem to indicate it wasnt just to get folks out of the elements. Thanks for the walk around, so cool!

[@M8Stealth]

Instead of buying a car and a tractor, a farmer could spend less and get one machine that did both jobs. When buying a new tractor last year, could have bought a Ferrari instead for less money...my wife was not amused. 😅

[@erichayes9192]

That UDLX is a cool tractor it looks like a ZZ Top version of a tractor!

[@geneguenther4325]

Thanks for the video Toby! Truly way ahead of their time that’s for sure. To bad they were so expensive and never caught on because they sure would have been a great tractor to have. Maybe someday I’ll see on in person. Thanks again Toby

[@dscott130]

These are so uniquely cool! I had no idea anything remotely like these were made back then. ❤

[@jasoncolavecchia8884]

Reminds me strongly of the German Lanz Bulldogs, which had full cab options like this for doubling as a form of transportation when not plowing, etc

[@tractorhyatt7044]

Very different looking tractors. I can imagine they were pretty pricey. Almost look like classic cars. Thanks for sharing, Squatch!

[@chevyon37s]

Man I always loved the UDLX, I’ve never actually had the pleasure of seeing one up close.

[@M8Stealth]

My grandfather bought a new UDLX and it got traded in on a JetStar in the 1950s. One of those hindsight moments I wish he would have kept it and at the very least, had the serial number to track it down if it survived... It is possible it was this tractor...

[@dukeallen432]

Thanks for creating and sharing. Nothing better than machines we’ve never seen. Well presented. Thanks for not starting video with closeup of your face. Your video could be used as a training video for KZbin. Cheers.

[@seanbatiz6620]

Hands-down was always the most creampuff plush of any farm tractor ever conceived! Rode around in one of these oh, about 3.5 decades ago… yes, ride as rough as any tractor should but dang, MASS-COMFORT by comparison! So striking to the eye

[@Fatamus]

Amazing amazing. Absolutely amazing. Minneapolis Moline. Thank you so much that reminds me of little tractors I used to play with when I was a kid.

[@billfolsom4203]

My son saw one at an auction in NJ a few years ago. He said it sold for about $80 K.

[@comontoshi]

I thought this was like a “custom car/tractor show! 😁 I had a Farmall (International Harvester) faded red paint metal seat . . . hand cranked to start! 🤭😘

[@Farmallguy29]

I haven’t seen anyone else mention that the transmission setup on those somewhat carried over to the early U’s as well (up to about 1946-47). They retained the faster fifth gear which was advertised as having a road speed of 25mph. Also the reverse was really slow, like only 1.5 mph. They are a blast to drive on the road but as others have said, you better be on a smooth surface!

[@cbmsysmobile]

Oh, this is absolutely fantastic. I love this.

[@ron827]

Yep, farmers did not want to look soft. In the mid/late 50's I suggested we put an umbrella on the JD "B" I cultivated corn with and it was met with GREAT disapproval because no one else in the neighborhood used one..

[@silverfox7550]

I think I "hear you". Worked scuffling acres of corn for neighbours with a JD. B. No umbrella or muffler. Just a short chunk of eavesdrop pipe. Can't believe how cheap they were but the next season they had an umbrella and muffler cause their son was old enough to operate it. Hearing is very poor now but I think this was the start of deteriation.

[@SamMaass-s5h]

My grandfather said cabs were for sissies. But he loved plowing with our G 1000 Vista in the fall. He was sitting in the cab in his shirtsleeves.

[@Fragaut]

They look gorgeous. Love the pre-war styling. Were they used as utility tractors, for municipal services or in plants, this sort of jobs?

[@larrylawson5172]

From what I have heard over the years, part of the plan was so the farmer did not have to own a car. Mama could come to town with Papa without the issues of running an open frame tractor through the mud. They were cheaper than a car and a tractor combined. I guess they caught on for other uses more than the family farm car. Mama still wanted to go to town in a 5 window coup rather than the dusty, greasy farm tractor that Papa had not cleaned up recently. They had the disadvantage of being hot in the summer and very dusty. Can you imagine what it would have been like to be out in a field in Texas or Southern California? Come to think of it, it would not have been fun in humid Minnesota or Illinois all closed up even with window open. Heat from the engine and transmission too.

[@seniorelectrician6831]

Real nice looking, there was a few of them there also, seems like just one had the full cab the others were open style.

[@evilchaosboy]

You had me at Comfort. Farmers were stupid. Bein' warm & dry _and_ "soft" is better than bein' cold, wet and miserable...and don't let anyone tell you different cause they'd be LYING!!! \m/ Addendum: I've sat in one a those @ the Austin Manitoba Theshermans Reunion

[@frontagulus]

Interesting how these were designed 90 years ago for comfort and high road speed. Tractors did 20mph for years and had few creature comforts but it's come full circle now where JCB has high speed tractors, many can do 30, and everyone has creature comforts.

[@stevenm3141]

This would make an awesome tractor pull rig! It's a hotrod tractor from the 30s .

[@dukeallen432]

No

[@evankibbe590]

They are very cool 😎 tractors 😊 way ahead of there time 😊 Kinda like Studebaker was 😮😊 good morning everyone 😊

[@lwilton]

The design of those tractors just screams 1930s styling. It seems a little stuffy these days, but it is still really great styling!

[@hordboy]

I wonder how much field work they actually did? Seems more like something you’d haul grain with or take to the feed mill with a wagon. That cab would be so hot in the summer.

[@ARockRaider]

they look like a bastard cross between an early car and a tractor! very neat and certinly the direction modern tractors are headed in a way.

[@bobpaterson1845]

Styling on them is stunning just can't see a farmer wanting to take that out an do some fieldwork though 🤔👍

[@brentcox4561]

Am I the only one who thinks this would make a great one of a kind dragster?

[@dukeallen432]

Drag racing is a waste. So many nice cars chopped up and ruined. And any snot nosed kid can buy a Tesla.

[@johnquinn3899]

Great info Squatch.

[@1crazynordlander]

I think I heard you say that the previous owners of X231 tell you that the rear end in that unit shelled out in road gear. Just think of the carnage if X231 had that high low range this UDLX has.

[@NuffMan_]

wonder how the impelemts would be connected, seeing there is no hitch or drawbar

[@lifeafterourloss]

I'm sure it wasn't terrible, but it terrifies me to think of any tractor of that era doing 40 miles an hour down a road. Better remember to lock the brakes!

[@leinie6683]

doesnt have split brakes

[@lifeafterourloss]

@@leinie6683 That's a good thing if it can hit 40 mph.

[@kevinkeech7906]

The last time I saw a UDLX sell on a sale it brought over hundred grand and that was 30 years ago

[@brapperdan9554]

Ever try and sit in one? It is tiny and tight in there! Very rare and beautiful tractors

[@michaelbaumgardner2530]

That would have been handy on rural roads back in the 30s

[@donames6941]

I see the pto but how and were do you hook on to the tractor with implements

[@scrotiemcboogerballs1981]

Very cool tractor I love how they look so stylish and I believe ahead of the time most all tractors have cabs now and they are putting fenders and engine covers on them too on some models very beautiful restoration on that one I want to drive it 😂thanks for sharing

[@randallfrank5682]

Just needs an air conditioner for those hot days inside that "green house" effect cab.

[@shawnrobinson5156]

Man the cool thing

[@rustyreckman2892]

Why is it so hard to manage my payments on KZbin!!!! Argh. I have to change me membership payment and I can figure it out

[@MrJamesPottorff]

Wow

[@jeffreyshier9021]

Cool!

[@Kyntteri]

It was a Bragtor.

[@danielbrennan6150]

@squatch253 What year is that UDLX? 40 mph is right in line with cars of the 20s-early 30s. my 1922 model t can go 40 but that's pushing it

[@danielbrennan6150]

I see you mentioned its a 1938. thank you

[@backachershomestead]

👍👍

[@TKM1951]

Was that another under the tarp

[@bruceferrero8178]

Goin to town tractor!

[@PenDragonsPig]

Uhhh....original MB Trac

[@aserta]

Helical cut gears, IE: you could change this as you moved. Personally, i think they flopped because they put too much work into it. Should've found a body manufacturer that had the closest body to put on and not hire a guy for it. Should've put the driver on center, with an extended cab with a bench seat and a visible PTO and removed all the bling. As for the farmers... well, they asked for it. They wanted car amenities in the tractor, but when push came to shove, they chickened out and didn't buy it. Which is typical. Something new comes out, something that was driven by populous demand, aaaand chuchky, nobody buys it, because the cost reflects the construction. MM ate a big L on this one, quite a few of the units that weren't sold had to be pulled back "debarked" and then sold on discount I think they sold... dunno, 90 or there about. Had i been a farmer then, i would've flipped public opinion the birdie (because if there's one thing i've learnt in life is living it and not caring about what others think) and bought the thing just for the helical cut gears. That was a freaking amazing feature in a tractor of the time, and i'm betting that the deconverted Us that came back to sale were absolute Doozies. That alone was worth its weight in gold. Again, i think that had they used the cab section of a truck (which was a pretty common conversion in Europe when we did it), put the driver in the normal position with an extended cab and a bench seat, and without the bling, it would've sold better (well, the price was obscene, but you would be getting more). Properly cushioned seats would've also been a better sale pitch and not being cramped out of your life. And the roads of that time barely deserved their name outside populated areas.

[@bobuk5722]

Looks like something out of a 1930's science fiction film. But not in black and white!

[@Thecowboy1950]

I don’t see a draw bar to pull everything

[@dannygoin6552]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👍👍👍☕️☕️☕️🥃🥃🥃🍻🍻🍻👀👀👀🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@erik365365365]

So weird

[@redrobgmail]

Where was the drawbar?

[@lukestrasser]

I wish that the prototype of these still existed. The story of the neighbor coming into town at 45 mph from the cities is priceless.

[@mariebennett5739]

I notice neither of those two tractors have drawbar just how practical were they ?

[@SamMaass-s5h]

​@@mariebennett5739the drawbar must have been removed

[@texasjetman]

Truly a couple of very rare survivors that engraved their part in the history of American tractor & Agriculture evolution 🇺🇸 thank you for sharing.

[@rawbsworld6604]

Wowza!!! Didn’t know there was a convertible version !!! 😳 ragtop or coup 👍 one for summer & one for winter 🤦‍♂️ awesome 😎✌️🤙

[@clydeschwartz]

Excellent video them are really neat tractors and when you consider they were built in 1938 every other tractor from that Era was open and a steel pan seat and these have a nice full cushion seat and a cab and radio and heater they were probably better than a lot of the automobiles that were on the roads at that time it would be neat to have one that is for sure. Keep up the great videos

[@marty8639]

Toby , the second transmission shift lever ( with out knob) is actually a transmission disconnect. It provided direct drive to the differential. It also moved a small pin in the top of the transmission that allowed the governor to open up another 200 RPM allowing 40 MPH. The Ross steering gear was very good, it allowed very good tight steering. If you wanted a PTO with your cab ,there was a cast standoff that bolted to the floor of the cab near the back that extended your pto shaft through the cab. Although now you couldn't open the door all the way open! The last peculiarity was the two hinged doors in the floor of the cab. The drawbar doesn't extend past the cab but was designed to be accessed from the seat ! One door allowed access to the swing plate and the other to the drawbar pin.

[@marty8639]

To continue my story, a lot of the UDLX's were used for custom work. We found out first hand that they really failed in many ways in row crop work, but MM retained the belt pulley and a couple bolts and pins later you had the fender off and you could power a corn sheller which is what our tractor did

[@SamMaass-s5h]

​@@marty8639thanks for that.

[@tacticalrabbit308]

That cab is neat looking would work good in winter

[@richardpeoples2887]

My neighbor in Harrisville Pa has a UDLX that has been in the family for decades.

[@d00dEEE]

That's a fine Sunday Go To Meetin' tractor. Sort of reminds me of the "steamliner" locomotives of that era.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

50 years too soon!! Nicely done!

[@z978ady]

Would have reduced the chance of skin cancer but it would be hot in summer. Air conditioning was available in some high end luxury cars back then, while tractors had to wait several more decades. To think no highway departments wanted them for plowing side streets. If they narrowed track width they could have been sold for sidewalk clearing. Doesn't sound like MM ever produced 4x4 tractors, which would have made that a prime choice for snow removal. Nice resto.

[@SuperMAZ007]

As much as I was able to read from Google: UDXL seem to be a very desirable collectible tractor. They may have looked goofy back in the day or a hybrid between a car and a tractor. But it seems they are really sought after machines. I can only imagine how much the prototype UDXL would have been worth now. When it had survived or would have been saved back in the day.

[@michaelseymour3534]

Absolutely love the design - far ahead of its time.

[@CleverMonkey-jd3du]

I like that shade or orange so much I'd probably buy one of those just because of the colour.

[@SamMaass-s5h]

The color is called Prairie Gold.

[@dukeallen432]

Is very captivating.

[@thomaslyon2112]

I’ve seen a photo of one of these, didn’t have any info. I thought it was someone’s custom toy.

[@gregwooldridge8864]

In my teens I ploughed a field it rained and blew and hailed all day with no cab dambed near froze to death.

[@onemoredeadman]

So there were "gentlemen farmers" even back then😁

[@benterbieten9540]

Very, Very nice high dollar tractor.

[@charlesward8196]

The chrome hub caps are the limit. My younger brother once described a tool that was a combination sword and shovel. It was a failure as both a sword AND as a shovel. Here is a tractor trying to be a road-able automobile, and consumers obviously felt that it should pick a lane and stay in it. They LOOK really cool, but if you are trying to cultivate the corn with a 4-row cultivator like my Grandpa had on his Farmall Super A, you can’t see where the rows are. Instead of “Culti-view” it is culti-blind.

[@dougtexas9075]

Very interesting !!!!!!

[@wilsonlaidlaw]

Squatch do you know the relative pricing in say 1938 of the UDLX (LX for luxury?) and the base model without any additional bodywork and transfer box?

[@wilsonlaidlaw]

@@squatch253 I suppose a regular tractor and a second hand model A Ford plus money in the pocket would make far more sense.

[@markdavich5829]

Thanks for the dive into these. I ran across a vid from another channel that talked about them and I was thinking "naw - they didn't do that" LOL

[@MillerMeteor74]

Your camera causes a weird effect when you get really close to things, almost like a fisheye lens, but not quite. Must be a really wide angle. Anyway, I think I read about the M-M UDLX in the old magazine, Special Interest Autos. I can't believe someone had one of those and a UOPN there. Wow. Those are so cool. Thanks for the walkaround.

[@richardmead9225]

I read where the Wisconsin Postal Dept bought some UDLXs for delivering mail in the winter.

[@geraldschrader8511]

Those two tractors must be super rare, so it amazes me that they could obtain all the parts to restore them to like new condition.

[@dukeallen432]

If you have a few key pieces, metal work takes care of the rest. May be hundreds of hours.

[@wagon9082]

Good Morning, Good Video

[@rohanburgess3320]

Interesting tractors. Did they have drawbars? Didn't notice one in the video.

[@bills6093]

Drawbar HP is listed as 27.

[@stevenrapp3217]

I Love it........farm all week and then take the tractor to church on Sunday. Who could want anything more?

[@jimtrewartha2594]

Nice! If you send me contact info, ill send you pix of a pair of case tractors with cabs that would rival the minnies. A LA, and a DC4. The DC even has AC!

[@edwardcaseyjr5490]

Great video Squatch , what is that black box on top of the generator?🤔🤔😊

[@joelknierim1456]

Great video! Interesting tractors. Where is the drawbar hidden?

[@noelstractors-firewood57]

Neat tractors.

[@michaelscriffiano9267]

Awesome tractors

[@aquilaaudax6033]

✋🏼🇦🇺👍🏼

[@danielstickney2400]

Going 40 mph in an unsprung tractor must have felt stupidly dangerous on any road rougher than a pool table.

[@dukeallen432]

As with any vehicle one gets familiar with limitations.