Minneapolis-Moline Predecessors: Twin City, Minneapolis & Moline

Minneapolis-Moline was formed in 1929 by the merger of three companies, each with its own tractor and implement heritage. Knowing them helps date and identify the earliest ‘MM’ machines.

The three predecessors

• Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Co. — the Twin City line. The source of MM’s early tractors; its designs (KT/KTA, MT/MTA, FT/FTA) carried into the MM era. See our full Twin City tractors guide.
• Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co. (MTM). Maker of the cross-motor ‘Minneapolis’ tractors and the later ‘Great Minneapolis’ line (reported to include the 17-30, 27-42, 39-57, and 35-70 / 40-80 prairie tractors).
• Moline Plow Co. Maker of the Moline Universal motor cultivator (Model D), an early articulated two-wheel tractor often cited among the first with electric starting and lights.

After 1929 these lines were consolidated under Minneapolis-Moline, leading into the Visionlined letter tractors (see the Z, U, R, and G overviews).

Sources & Verification Notes

The 1929 merger and the three predecessor companies are well documented (see Wikipedia’s Minneapolis-Moline entry). Specific MTM and Moline Plow model designations and dates are reported from collector and historical references and remain approximate pending confirmation against factory literature; the Twin City serial record is the most fully verified portion (see that guide). Verify any pre-1929 machine against original documentation.