In the early 1930s, new tractor "UNIVERSAL" had been developed, to be used for mechanization of labor- intensive jobs in cultivation of crops. It was created on the basis of "FARMALL" tractor manufactured by 'International Harvester' American company.

As for its design elements, the «UNIVERSAL» was very similar to SHTZ-15/30 model. It was for the first time in the world practice that Russian designers developed two modifications of 'UNIVERSAL' row-crop tractors:
U-1 with closely mounted front wheels - to be used for inter-row cultivation of tail-stalked crops (irrigated cotton, sunflower, corn);
U-2 with widely mounted from wheels for inter-row cultivation of white beet and short-stalked tilled crops.

In the 1940s, two more modifications of 'UNIVERSAL' tractor had been developed:
U 3 - for cultivation of bogharic cotton;
U-4 - designed for mounting cotton harvesting equipment on.

It was exactly U-4 tractor model, that first time in the USSR pneumatic-tyred wheels had been mounted on similar machines. The 'UNIVERSAL' tractor became the first Soviet tractor exported abroad: to Holland, Iran and Turkey.

Manufacturer:
“Krasnyi Putilovets" Plant In Leningrad (1934-1940)
Vladimirsky Tractor Plant (1944-1955)

Application field:
to be used for inter row cultivation of tilled crops with towed and attached implements.

Total number of tractors assembled - 211 500
Engine power, h.p. (kW) - 22(16.2)
Operating weight, kg - 2 108
Number of forward / reverse gears – 3/1
Speed range, forward, km/h – 3.9-8.1