The Museum has a Minneapolis Moline Twin City FTA tractor in the collection donated by the C. H. Jarvis Family of Dakota, Manitoba.
Minneapolis Moline Power Implement Company (MM) was formed in 1929 with the consolidation of the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, Moline Plow Company, and Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company (MS&MC). The Twin City tractor line made by MS&MC since 1910 continued to be sold by MM through to 1938.
As Twin City tractors had earned a sound reputation and was recognized by farmers, MM retained the Twin City name and marketed tractors under this name for a period of time. In the early-mid-thirties, MM began to label the tractors as Minneapolis-Moline Twin City.
The FTA was a result of a long development of the Twin City 21-32 design. MS&MC began work on the new engine design, the FE, in 1925. Cylinder head design had progressed significantly in the early 1920s and a two valve per cylinder design was possible that offered better flow than the 4 valve per cylinder design used in the 12-20 and 17-28 at a cheaper cost to manufacture. As well the design was changed to allow cylinders and heads to be cast in two pairs. This was felt to offer ease of repair.
MS&MC installed the FE engine in chassis similar to that used by the 17-28 and called the result the 21-32 tractor. The 21-32 was fitted with a Zenith U-6 carburetor and a dry type Bennett air cleaner. 21-32 was rated at 31 horsepower on the drawbar and 36 horsepower on the belt. 302 21-32s were built between 1916 and 1928.
In 1928, a heavier final drive and transmission was developed that offered three forward speeds. In 1929, Minneapolis-Moline (M-M) replaced the 21-32 with the 21-32 FT which include the new 3 speed transmission. A Stromberg M-3 carburetor, a Donaldson dry type air cleaner and Bosch magneto were fitted to the FE engine.
In 1935, the engine bore was increased bringing the engine displacement to 403 cubic inches. Compression was increased as well. This redesigned engine was fitted to the FT resulting in the FTA model which was rated at 33 horsepower on the drawbar and 41 horsepower on the belt. Heavy cast rear wheels able to be fitted with rubber tires were also offered. Additional wheel weights could bring the weight of the tractor to nearly 8,000 pounds making the tractor capable of handling heavy tillage tasks.
Minneapolis Moline continued production of the FTA through 1938. Most of these post merger late models have MM-Twin City cast into the top radiator tank. Between the 21-32, FT and FTA, 15,228 units were produced.