The Minneapolis-Moline R Series: RTU, RTS, RTN & RTE
The Minneapolis-Moline R series was the smallest of the streamlined Visionlined letter tractors, built mainly 1939–1954 in several configurations that shared a serial-number system.
| Model | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RTU | 1939–1954 | Row-crop, tricycle front (universal R) |
| RTS | 1939–1954 | Standard-tread |
| RTN | 1939–1951 | R-series variant |
| RTE | 1947–1953 | R-series variant |
How they line up
- RTU vs RTS: the RTU is the tricycle-front row-crop (the universal R); the RTS is the standard-tread version. See RTU vs RTS.
- Shared serials: because the R models shared numbering, a serial alone can match more than one — confirm by configuration.
Decode your serial number and confirm the front-end configuration.
Sources & Verification Notes
Production years and the configurations noted are from TractorData and the linked model pages (whose serial data is cross-checked against multiple references). Minneapolis-Moline built many variants and made running changes — always verify against your tractor’s serial number and parts book.