One of my favorite non-John Deere companies is Minneapolis-Moline. They had a good color scheme and they made cool-sounding tractors that were very innovative and ahead of their time. Unfortunately, MM was absorbed by White, which was absorbed by Case, which absorbed IH and New Holland, forming the dreaded Case-IH (shudder). Anyway, my favorite Minneapolis-Moline and incidentally the farthest ahead of its time is/was the Minneapolis-Moline UDLX.

The UDLX was introduced in 1938 and dubbed the Comfortractor. It was designed as a solution for multiple problems. The farmer could work in the fields all week, then drive to town in comfort on the weekends. The UDLX was equipped with all the modern amenities - a fully enclosed, heated cabin with windows that open, cigarette lighter, a second seat for your tractor dog during the week, or the little lady on the weekend. You get a glove box, rear opening door, full raft of gauges, and slick coupe-like styling — well, as close as a tractor can get to a sedan. The top speed of this beast was rated at 45 mph so a bit slow, but definitely usable on rural roads. The problem with the whole equation was cost and timing. The nation was still a bit in the doldrums at the end of the Great Depression, war was looming on the horizon, and the price tag for the fancy tractor was steep at $2,150. Those factors in concert all led to a production of only about 150 of the old tractors. In person the UDLX is a handsome machine and the engine is smooth, all the instrumentation falls easily to hand and it's owners are invariably swamped with admirires when taken to antique tractor shows (yes they exist). The UDLX Comfortractor, an evolutionary offshoot that didn't quite make it, but still cool nonetheless.

Throttle=forward, like most vehicles. Use yaw to steer. ACT1 activates second gear for a little faster ride. Pitch lever forward activates some pretty useless brakes. Back helps hold the rear axle down when you are bouncing around. Use VTOL to open and close the rear doors. ACT6 removes the top if you, like 1930's America, don't like it. I added landing gear behind the rear axle for some added stability. Keep them down for a smooth ride. Put them up for a slower, less stable, and more authentic ride.

All in all, I think I did well with this tractor. The front wheels look, quite frankly, awful, but the rest looks pretty darn good to me. Enjoy!