Moline's in my family

Grandpa purchased a new 1948 Z. I remember my late Dad talked about how he was going to trade in the '36 Allis WC and 15yr old dad argued against it. They were still using 4 horses at that time. That WC is still in on the farm today.

The Z would have come off the "Luce Line" train in town direct from the "cities" to the local MM dealer; Wm R Johnson Motor's.

I think this photo is of the the Z when either new or near new:

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Could be Dad's older sister setting on the seat.

Dad bought this 1956 UB Diesel new as a young man in his 20s and it was the big tractor on the farm until '69. This is the only photo I've ever found with it other than in the far background. Must not be too old. Another aunt and a load of ear corn in the flare box. I have no memory of it.

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The UB got traded in '69 for a 2yr old '67 M670. I remember that tractor well growing up. I never got to drive it though. Here it is in 1980 with Dad prior to the dealer arrival to pick it up:

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The M670 was traded in for a new White 2-105 in 1980. I spent many hours in that 2-105 in my HS days doing spring tillage or fall plowing. Thinking about it I recall plowing real late at night one fall in the 80s trying to beat a snow storm expected the next day.

Here is the White in the fall of 1997 plowing corn stalks with a IH 770 5-16 plow. Dad was driving. This picture is a still from a VHS tape I made that fall.

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The White was sold at Dad's retirement auction in 1998. Brought a real good price as the condition was near mint.

Dad kept the '48 Z and it's still on the farm after 70yrs.

Here it is in 2014.

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Needs some TLC and restoration that someday I would like to do.
 
nice! i see the UB has a special muffler , replacements i get do not look like that. plus i noticed it has 2 batteries. must be 2 6 volt in series. my U has only the long skinny 12 volt batt.
 
That muffler was stock to the U and G series tractors. Reproduction mufflers patterned to an original are still available. I have one that looks and sounds like original.


A lot of after market mufflers do not look like it.....and do not sound like it.
 
Those are great pics, and family history! Grandpa bought an R (heard lots of stories how he hated it), traded it on a new 52 ZA, then bought a 53 UB in 54 (big tractor in the neighborhood), my uncle bought a 602 which was later traded on a 69 670. He had a 69 g900, and a g1000 vista before trading for a white 2-135, and then a White 2-110. I learned to plow with the g900, then spent may hours in the 2-135. I restored the UB, and my cousin has the ZA.
 
They are brackets for a front mount MM cultivator. Rods go from the brackets to the outer ends of the cultivator to support it. The inner part of the cultivator frame pins to the tractor. The left front attaching bracket is visible above the front tires on the side of the tractor. Very easy to mount and did a very good job.
 
I like the 2014 ZTU photo. It took me a moment to see the side tins had been neatly trimmed. I can see where that would be handy for a tractor being used regularly and originality was not a concern. Thank you for sharing.
 
Found this photo that I believe was taken the same time as the one with the UB and wagon:

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That is the '48 Z with a Woods Bros (Dearborn) picker. I've got some 8mm home movie with the UB running a New Idea 6A picker and the Z pulling wagons that dates from I think '62 so this definitely older than that.

I think I may have a photo of the Z with the cultivator mounted on it someplace but its not been scanned. I think I have most of the cultivator parts but its all dismantled. Missing 2 of the gauge wheels for sure. That cultivator setup was used up to I think 1989. I drove it a few times myself but usually drove the '69 IH 544 with the rear mounted one. Spent many a hot summer day with deer flies circling my head on that rig. The Z was sort of brutal as dirt would blow off the rear tires and sandblast your face.
 

It took me a moment to see the side tins had been neatly trimmed.

Yeah, those got cut out sometime in the 50s I think. There are some photos from about '54 and they are intact AND the sides are open and tied open with a rope across the hood. Story was it would overheat on hot days. Not sure the modification was for that reason OR Dad was trying to "modernize" the look to be more like a ZA or ZB.

A few years ago when I was cleaning up junk/scrap around the farm, I found one of the cut out hoods side semi-buried in the dirt under a pile of junk. Holding it up to the part still on the tractor it was easy to see it was cut out with a hack saw. Despite where I found it, not all rusted, and could be welded back in even. I bet the other missing side got cut up for patch metal over the years.
 

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