Nuffield Universal

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Nuffield Universal Four
Nuffield Universal Four

The Nuffield Universal was a tractor produced by the British Nuffield Organisation and its successor the British Motor Corporation from 1948.

When William Morris 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 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 Morris Commercial four cylinder lorry engine.

The first diesel 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 45 h.p. BMC diesel engine.

In 1969 BMC's holding company British Motor Holdings was amalgamated with the Leyland Motor Corporation which also owned Standard Triumph and Rover to become British Leyland. Tractor production continued under the Nuffield name until 1969 when the tractors were renamed as Leyland Tractors and the familiar poppy red livery was changed to a new two-tone Leyland corporate colour scheme.

[edit] Variants

[edit] M4

  • Conventional 4 wheel model

[edit] M3

  • Single front wheel version for row crop work.

Original engine for both M4 and M3 was a Morris Commercial 4-cylinder sidevalve engine running on tractor vaporising oil, delivering 42 hp.

[edit] P4

[edit] Universal 3

  • 1957

[edit] Universal 4/60

  • 1961
  • 3.8 litre diesel engine. Produced by boring-out the 3.4 litre.
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