Bryan Hamilton, of Koorlong, a small town to the west of Mildura, Victoria, is a member of the Tractor Restoration & Appreciation Club Sunraysia (TRACS), and has recently completed the refurbishment of his unusual looking tractor - a 1918 Moline plough tractor, also known as the ‘Universal’ tractor.

Bryan is unsure of the tractor’s life history, but he thinks it started work in central New South Wales. The Moline had several other owners before he purchased it from another member of TRACS in 2012. The Moline, in many ways, was a ‘basket case’, dismantled in part, and with some parts missing.

There was also some internal water damage to the engine after years of neglect and exposure to the elements, as it had been relegated to the ‘back tip’ at some point in the past.

Unfortunately, Bryan did not take any photographs to record the state the tractor was in when he first bought it, but he openly admits that he nearly walked away from the project. It looked too big. However, with second thoughts, he reasoned that all the major parts were there, and that what wasn’t there could be made, adapted, or ‘scrounged’.

As it turned out, repair time took a little over two years.

Items which had to be found to make the Moline workable again were the magneto, the carburettor, and an air cleaner, as well as making various small pieces like the inlet manifold.

Most of the engine components remained original, as did  the cam shaft, the oil pump, and the engine bearings, which were re-shimmed, but still original. A clutch lining was adapted from another make of tractor.

One cylinder from the 4 cylinder engine was re-sleeved by local engineering group, G&P, who also fitted Ford 4000 tractor valves.

One of Bryan’s challenges was the push rods and caps. Each push rod has a small cap at each end which is removable. As some of these were missing, replacements had to be made from stainless steel.

Several magnetos were tried but none fitted the bill, until an Eismann, after much overhauling and repair, solved the problem of the 4 cylinder engine ‘missing’ at various times. The replacement carburettor needed to have an adjustable main jet, and a brass example from either a large stationary engine or an early truck or car of ‘unknown’ make, was found which performed very well.

Besides the engine repair, there were other deficiencies to overcome, such as the radiator, the air cleaner, and the steering box. The radiator was missing, leaving behind only the bottom mounts and the water outlet. The fan, shroud, and the radiator grille are original, with the grille hiding a remodelled David Brown Cropmaster radiator. The replacement air cleaner was obtained via the internet, and uses a common dry element type. The steering box was actually missing, but one was sourced from a donor tractor in Griffith, NSW.

The fuel tank, bearing the name ‘Moline Plow Co’, is original, and only had to be cleaned out and repaired.

One other challenge was the construction and replacement of some of the parts of the trailing two-wheeled section of the tractor.

On its first test run, the engine had a ‘knock’. Having double-checked ‘everything’ before assembling the engine, Bryan was surprised at this turn of events, and had no idea what it could be. 

He persevered, making many adjustments which he thought might eliminate this problem but the ‘knock’ persisted.

Bryan had to make the difficult and heartbreaking decision to dismantle the engine a second time, as the problem had to be found and rectified. The fault was found to be a slightly bent conrod. Bryan managed to find another one locally which was a great stroke of good luck. The engine was once again assembled and, upon starting it up, the ‘knock’ was finally absent, which was a very pleasing outcome.

The tractor is very easy to start. With the petrol turned on, it takes only three turns, or compressions, with the starting handle to get it running - 1. Choke; 2. Suck in fuel; 3. Engine starts. This easy starting characteristic has been a constant response since the restoration.

Some Characteristics of the Moline ‘Universal’ Tractor

The machine is articulated, i.e. ‘ hinged in the middle’. To work it, the operator sits at the back of the tractor, on a two-wheeled ‘spidery’ section which is sometimes referred to as the ‘cart’; the controls come to hand easily, but they operate remotely.

The engine and transmission are mounted over and between two large driving wheels. The engine is slightly offset, so forward vision is not greatly impaired.

There is a front-mounted belt pulley which could be used to operate all manner of small machines and other light appliances, like pumping water or sawing wood.

The controls extend to the rear where the operator sits. The steering wheel (not original) operates a gear through a steering box, which meshes with a sturdy semi-circular gear attached to the front half of the tractor. This action turns the front part of the tractor and the rest follows.

The tractor has only two gears, a forward and a reverse. The required gear is selected by pushing forward, or pulling back, on a lever - push forward and the tractor goes backward, and vice versa. Immediately to its right is another lever which, when pulled back, operates the clutch, and beneath them is the brake lever and a small circular control which, when turned, manages the engine speed.

As the tractor articulates and the controls are remote, there has to be some method whereby the action of those controls is not interfered with when the tractor is turning. A unique ‘ball and catch’ (for lack of a better term) has been utilised. This allows for a ‘swivel’ movement in the remote transfer of direction as the vehicle turns.

There are three easily accessible mounting points which, when undone, permits the ‘cart’ or ‘spidery’ rear section to be removed. This allows the attachment of some other farming implement. As the pulling power of this tractor is from the front, just like horsedrawn machines, it was suggested that almost any of the extant horsedrawn implements could easily be adapted to fit the tractor.

The Moline company made several special implements for the tractor which included a cultivator, grain drills, and discs and harrows. One very noticeable characteristic is the use of concrete ballast in the drive wheels. With the weight of the engine and gearbox so high, the ballast was added at the factory to lower the centre of gravity in order to reduce the chance of upsets. 

The right-hand side wheel weight is heavier than the other to compensate for the offset position of the engine.

One alteration to the tractor is evident - this is the increased width of the drive wheels in an attempt to get more traction in sandy country.

The maximum speed of the tractor, bearing in mind that it is a ‘plough’ tractor with only one forward gear, is four miles an hour. When the tractor is working, the differential is locked in position. 

The tractor has not been painted but remains in ‘its working clothes’ and is a great restoration of an unusual tractor. Bryan’s efforts were rewarded when the tractor won the Vintage Machinery ‘Runner-up’ Award at the Wentworth Annual show earlier in the year. *Ian Hinks