Pioneering tractor that shaped a shire for auction
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Pioneering tractor that shaped a shire for auction

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By Shannons - 18 September 2014

• Rare surviving classic tractor

• Significant local history

• Fresh from a 2,500 man-hour restoration

A unique hand-made Post-War English tractor that played a major role in opening up Victoria’s historic Port Fairy area will be auctioned by Shannons in Melbourne on Monday, September 29.

The famous ‘Minneapolis Moline Model UDM’ that arrived in the Western District’s Belfast Shire in late December 1948, drove the Shire’s mobile crushing plant that transformed the region’s formerly flood-ravaged roads.

So revered is the distinctive yellow ‘Meadows’, that it has been the subject of a 130 page eBook covering its fascinating history, from its delivery to the Belfast Shire in December 1948, through its rescue from the back of a SIMS Metal scrap truck, to its recent 2,500 man-hour restoration.

The famous ‘Minneapolis Moline Model UDM’ that shaped the roads of the Victorian Western District Shire of Belfast in the 1950s.

The pioneering Minneapolis Moline Model U was introduced in 1938 with features hitherto unheard of on tractors, including a closed cab equipped with a heater, radio, windscreen wipers and even a cigarette lighter. An electric start and better instrumentation were also offered, along with a range of powerful engines.

When World War II ended, the UDM found itself in competition with the much cheaper 46hp Fordson tractor on the local market and those built in England were consequently sold to customers in Greece, South Africa, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.

The imposing yellow with red grille Minneapolis Moline UDM was a direct private import from the UK by the-then Belfast Shire secretary and engineer John Ryan, who not only purchased the tractor, but also financed, purchased, designed and built the mobile crushing plant it powered, with the roads that resulted making the Shire the envy of others in Victoria at the time.

When it arrived at Port Fairy, the Minneapolis Moline UDM #600 647 was the biggest machine of its kind in the country and was known as ‘the Rolls Royce of tractors’.

The famous ‘Minneapolis Moline Model UDM’

In just 14 years of operation, the rock crushing enterprise powered by the Meadows produced more than 100,000 tons of blue metal material for the region’s roads, recording 14,500 engine hours from September 1952 to mid 1963, during when it became the permanent stationary power plant for the newly configured Belfast Shire quarry.

When the crusher broke its main frame in 1963, the tractor was replaced by a new, purpose-built stationary engine and found itself consigned to more menial shire duties, sadly ending its working days at the Tarrone quarry.

In early 1980s, the Minneapolis Moline UDM was sold for scrap metal, but it was rescued at the 11th hour by enthusiast Ian Geddes, who felt it deserved restoration in recognition of its outstanding civic work.

More than 2,500 man-hours spent over two and a half years went into the tractor’s restoration, with all work done by hand and progressively recorded with some 2000 digital images.

The Minneapolis Moline Model UDM tractor being auctioned by Shannons in Melbourne on September 29 has been the subject of an exhaustive 2,500 man-hour restoration.

All original components were retained except for the steering wheel and slotted-mesh front grill. Both items were judged as ‘beyond saving’ with replacements obtained from another matching tractor in Geddes’ collection.

Fifty-six years after it arrived in Victoria, the famous tractor is now a totally complete and running slice of Australian history. Its aluminium and bronze-work are one-way single-shot castings and none of the individually handmade panels is interchangeable with later UDMs.

Because of its totally restored and complete condition, rarity and provenance as a unique part of Australian history, Shannons expect the Minneapolis Moline UDM to sell in the $42,000-$48,000 range.