Private company
Former Swedish tractor manufacturer
AB Bolinder-Munktell (BM) was a tractor and machines manufacturer founded in Eskilstuna, Sweden in 1932 through the merger of the mechanical companies Bolinders and Munktells Mekaniska Verkstad. Bolinder are also well known as manufacturers of 'Semi-Diesel' or 'Hot bulb' engines.2 It ceased to exist in 1973.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
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AB Bolinder-Munktell (BM) was a tractor and machines manufacturer founded in Eskilstuna, Sweden in 1932 through the merger of the mechanical companies Bolinders and Munktells Mekaniska Verkstad.2
Bolinder-Munktell traces its origins to the engineering workshops Munktells Mekaniska Verkstad AB (established in Eskilstuna by Johan Theofron Munktell in 1832) and J. & C.G. Bolinders Mekaniska Verkstad AB (established in Stockholm by Jean and Carl Gerhard Bolinder in 1845). In 1950 the main shareholder Handelsbanken sold its shares to Volvo who turned the company into a subsidiary.
From Wikipedia’s article on Bolinder-Munktell, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
Listed on Wikidata.1
Bolinder produced a wide range of marine engines, mostly of the semi-diesel (hot-bulb) type. Some of those sizes proved to be ideal in narrow boats, and some Bolinder motors are still in use for this purpose. When starting, the cylinder head has to be heated with a kerosene blowtorch to get the hot bulb heated, and to be able to start the combustion process.
Tractor production commenced in 1913, with the type 30-40. Tractors were the main product up to the 1970s, and gained an unsurpassed reputation for durability.
Bolinder-Munktell BM 10 (1947-1952)
Bolinder-Munktell BM 20 (1945-1950)
Bolinder-Munktell BM 21 (1951-1952)
Bolinder-Munktell BM 230 Viktor (1955-1961)
Bolinder-Munktell BM 35/36 (1952-1959)
From the 1950s new products in the construction equipment and forestry machinery categories emerged. These were initially based on the tractor chassis. Soon the construction equipment became the dominant product range and remains so today. Products developed in the 1960s, and still in production, are wheel loaders and articulated haulers.
From Wikipedia’s article on Bolinder-Munktell, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
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