Minneapolis-Moline Model BG 1 Row

Minneapolis - Moline was the product of a 1929 merger of the Moline Implement Co. , the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co. and the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Co.  All of these were established businesses, the Moline Implement Co. dated back to 1870. Minneapolis Steel manufactured the popular Twin City tractor brand. The newly formed company soon established itself as an innovative leader of the industry. All things considered, there ought to be a ton of info online about M-M products. Right?  Wrong!

Information about the Model BG tractors is especially hard to find. This may be due to the limited number of this model produced. Tractordata.com ( which supplied most of the material I could find ) places total production at 1200 tractors made between 1953 and 1955. Steiner’s parts catalog has a list of serial numbers that runs from 1953 up to the first serial number of 1956 that adds up to 937 units. Not very many either way. How many of these have survived to the present day is anybody’s guess.

Those numbers make the fact that two of these tractors made an appearance at the Richland Creek Antique Fall Festival in Saluda, SC. last November pretty remarkable.

Davis Cromer brought his 1953 model.  Steiner’s serial numbers indicate that 1953 was the model’s best year with 600 tractors produced. 

This 1954 edition is owned by Ben Merchant and is one of only 168 units that were manufactured during the second year of production.  Why the steep drop in production? Of course the dealerships could have still been sitting on an inventory of unsold 53 model tractors. 

A four cylinder 133 cubic inch Hercules 1X3SL gasoline engine turning at 1800 rpm powered the BG. Belt horsepower was claimed to be 27 hp. 

The transmission provided four forward gears plus reverse. 

The wheelbase on the BG measured 75”.  Ground clearance was 20.5”. The tractor’s weight is listed as 2880 pounds.