Nuffield Universal
Encyclopedia
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
produced by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Nuffield Organisation
Nuffield Organisation
The Nuffield Organisation was a vehicle manufacturing company in the United Kingdom. Named after its founder, William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, it was formed in 1938 as the merger of Nuffield's Morris Motor Company , another of Nuffield's companies the MG Car Company and Riley.Morris Motors...
and its successor the British Motor Corporation
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
from 1948. When William Morris
William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield
William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield GBE, CH , known as Sir William Morris, Bt, between 1929 and 1934 and as The Lord Nuffield between 1934 and 1938, was a British motor manufacturer and philanthropist...
the founder of the Morris Motor Company was honoured with a title and elevated to the peerage he chose to become Lord Nuffield and so when in 1948 the Morris Motors Agricultural Division launched their tractor range the name Nuffield was chosen to be the brand name for the company's agricultural products. The design was similar to the new David Brown
David Brown Ltd.
David Brown Engineering Limited is a British engineering company, principally engaged in the manufacture of gears and gearboxes. Their major gear manufacturing plant is in Swan Lane, Lockwood, Huddersfield, adjacent to Lockwood railway station...
built tractors as the designer Dr. Merit had also worked on the design of the David Brown 50D before moving to Nuffield.
Petrol-paraffin
Petrol-paraffin enginePetrol-paraffin engine
A petrol-paraffin engine is an old-fashioned type of dual-fuel internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to start on petrol and then to switch to run on paraffin once the engine is warm.The advantages of the petrol-paraffin engine are that : paraffin can be cheaper and/or...
models introduced at the 1948 Smithfield Show were the Nuffield Universal M4 and the tricycle-wheeled M3. Both tractors were powered by an engine based on the side-valve
Flathead engine
A flathead engine is an internal combustion engine with valves placed in the engine block beside the piston, instead of in the cylinder head, as in an overhead valve engine...
Morris Commercial four cylinder lorry
Lorry
-Transport:* Lorry or truck, a large motor vehicle* Lorry, or a Mine car in USA: an open gondola with a tipping trough* Lorry , a horse-drawn low-loading trolley-In fiction:...
engine, running on tractor vaporising oil
Tractor vaporising oil
Tractor vaporising oil is a fuel for internal combustion engines, produced from paraffin . In the United Kingdom and Australia, after the Second World War, it was commonly used for tractors until diesel engines became commonplace...
and delivering 42 hp.
Diesel
The first dieselDiesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
powered Nuffield was the Universal DM4 which was powered by a 48 hp Perkins P4 (TA) engine. When Morris Motors became part of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1951 the Perkins engine was retained until 1954 when it was replaced by a 45 h.p. BMC diesel engine.
M4 and M3
Original engine for both M4 and M3 was a Morris CommercialMorris Commercial Cars
Morris Commercial Cars Limited was a British manufacturer of commercial vehicles founded by William Morris, who was also the founder of the Morris Motor Company.-History:...
4-cylinder sidevalve engine running on tractor vaporising oil
Tractor vaporising oil
Tractor vaporising oil is a fuel for internal combustion engines, produced from paraffin . In the United Kingdom and Australia, after the Second World War, it was commonly used for tractors until diesel engines became commonplace...
, delivering 42 hp.
- M4 Conventional 4 wheel model
- M3 Single front wheel version for row crop work.
P4
- A diesel engineDiesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
d variant with a Perkins Engine - A BMCBritish Motor CorporationThe British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
diesel was also available in 3.4 litres
Universal 3(3DL) and 4(4DM)
Built from 1957 to 1961:- 3DL 2.55L 3 Cylinder Engine 37bhp
- 4DM 3.4L 4 Cylinder Engine 53bhp
3/42 and 4/60
Built from 1961 to 1964. All tractors built at Bathgate in Scotland from 1962.- 3/42 2.8L 3 Cylinder (100mm) 39.2bhp
- Export 3/42 models have a 2.55L engine with vacuum governor like the 3DL.
- 4/60 3.8L 4 cylinder diesel engine. Produced by boring-out the 3.4 litre.
10 series
Built from 1964 to 1967 with 10 forward gears:- 10/42 - 2.8 diesel engine, 42hp
- 10/60 - 3.8 diesel engine, 60hp
Leyland tractors
In 1968 BMC's holding company British Motor HoldingsBritish Motor Holdings
British Motor Holdings Limited was a British motor company known until 14 December 1966 as British Motor Corporation Limited .-History:...
was amalgamated with the Leyland Motor Corporation which also owned Standard Triumph and Rover
Rover (car)
The Rover Company is a former British car manufacturing company founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. After developing the template for the modern bicycle with its Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, the company moved into the automotive industry...
to become British Leyland. Tractor production continued under the Nuffield name until 1969 when the tractors were renamed as Leyland Tractors
Leyland tractors
Leyland tractors was created after the merger of the British Motor Corporation with Leyland Motors to form British Leyland in 1968. Nuffield tractors had been started after World War II by Lord Nuffield owner of the Morris Motor Company which had become part of BMC in 1951.After the merger Leyland...
and the familiar poppy red livery was changed to a new two-tone blue Leyland corporate colour scheme.