Twin City 17-28
VerifiedThe Twin City 17-28 was Minneapolis Steel & Machinery’s best-selling Twin City tractor — about 11,589 built between 1926 and 1935 — and a direct predecessor of Minneapolis-Moline.
Identification & configuration
Per the compiled Twin City record, the 17-28 was a re-rated development of the 12-20, sharing its twin-cam, 16-valve four-cylinder engine. The oldest documented example is serial 19220, the Nebraska test tractor.
See the Twin City tractors overview and how the predecessors became MM.
Factory paint
Per the MMCI paint records, Twin City tractors of this era were Battleship Gray with red lettering on the top radiator tank; MMCI notes some late-1934 and 1935 tractors may have been a darker gray. See the full paint reference.
What to verify
- Serial: the 17-28 ran serials 19220–30808 with a documented year-by-year breakdown; decode yours (ranges below).
- Engine: confirm the 16-valve twin-cam four, shared with the 12-20.
Sources & Verification Notes
Engine, production figure, and serials per Tony Thompson’s compiled Twin City record (hosted by MMCI); paint per the MMCI Paint Committee. No horsepower or production-count figures are asserted until confirmed against factory literature.
Serial Number Ranges
| Year | Serial range | Number type | Source confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 19220 – 21405 | tractor plate | Verified High |
| 1927 | 21406 – 24028 | tractor plate | Verified High |
| 1928 | 24029 – 27686 | tractor plate | Verified High |
| 1929 | 27687 – 30103 | tractor plate | Verified High |
| 1930 | 30104 – 30281 | tractor plate | Verified High |
| 1931 | 30282 – 30298 | tractor plate | Verified High |
| 1932 | 30299 – 30309 | tractor plate | Verified High |
| 1933 | 30310 – 30333 | tractor plate | Verified High |
| 1934 | 30334 – 30762 | tractor plate | Verified High |
| 1935 | 30763 – 30808 | tractor plate | Verified High |
Factory Paint Colors
Body, wheel, and powertrain colors documented for this model's era by the MMCI Paint Committee. The exact part-by-part configuration, year breaks, and footnotes are in the full paint reference. Individual tractors vary — special orders and regional exceptions were common, so confirm against your own machine.
- Battleship Gray (body)
Finding Parts
We don't publish part numbers we can't verify against factory literature. The authority for this model's part numbers is its factory parts catalog; interchange is serial- and configuration-dependent, so always confirm against the parts book before buying.
Surviving Examples (collector-reported census)
No tractors registered for this model yet. The MinnieMo registry is owner-submitted and moderator-reviewed — help start the census.
Sources & Verification Notes
Status: Verified
Primary source: Twin City Tractor Serial Numbers — Tony Thompson (MMCI) tier 2
Last checked: 2026-05-31