The story
Morris Motors' agricultural division built the Universal as a British answer to the Fordson and Ferguson. It was designed by Dr H E Merritt, who had worked on David Brown tractors and wartime tanks, and a prototype ran in May 1946.
Steel shortages delayed production until 1948, when the tractor was shown at the Smithfield Show in poppy orange paint. Two versions were offered: the four-wheel M4 and the M3 with a single front wheel for row crops, which was aimed mainly at export.
Both used a side-valve Morris Commercial engine running on vaporising oil. A Perkins diesel arrived in 1950 and a BMC diesel later, and the Universal Three and Four eventually took over the range.
Did you knowThe M3 single-front-wheel version was built mainly for export, partly to persuade the post-war government to release scarce steel for the project.
For sale
No Nuffield Universal listings yet. Dealers and private sellers will be able to list them here soon.
Selling one?Specifications
| Engine |
|---|
| Maker | Morris Commercial (4-cylinder side-valve); Perkins and later BMC diesels in the DM4 |
| Fuel | Tractor vaporising oil (petrol start) on the M3/M4; diesel (DM4) and petrol (PM4) versions followed |
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Displacement | 3.77 L / 230 cu in |
| Power |
|---|
| Rated engine power | 42 hp |
| Drive |
|---|
| Transmission | 5 forward, 1 reverse (layshaft gearbox) |
| Top speed | 27.8 km/h / 17.3 mph |
| Hitch | Swinging drawbar; hydraulic lift and linkage with PTO an optional extra (£60 at launch) |
| Size |
|---|
| Weight | 2,225 kg / 4,905 lb |
| Fuel tank | 63.6 L (14 imperial gal) |
| History |
|---|
| Built | 1948 to the mid-1950s for the vaporising-oil M3/M4 (sources differ; some give 1961 for the whole Universal line); diesel DM4 from 1950 and petrol PM4 from 1952 |
| Factory | Former Wolseley works, Birmingham, England (Morris Motors, later British Motor Corporation) |
| Number made | 5,008 M3 and M4 (Wikipedia); a further 7,545 DM4 diesels and 3,653 PM4 petrol tractors |
| Price new | £495 for the M4 with starter and drawbar, £487 10s for the M3 (December 1948) |
About these figures. 42 bhp at 2,000 rpm is the launch figure for the vaporising-oil engine (bore 100 mm, stroke 120 mm, 3.77 L) given by Commercial Motor in December 1948 and by Wikipedia. Agriland quotes 38 hp and the Finnish Koneviesti data 48 hp (SAE), so published figures run from 38 to 48 hp. The DM4 diesel had a Perkins P4 of about 39 hp from 1950, later replaced by a BMC diesel of about 45 hp. Weight is the Koneviesti figure, which that source marks as approximate.
