Benjamin Holt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benjamin Leroy Holt
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Benjamin Leroy Holt, before 1920
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| Born | January 1, 1849 |
| Died | December 5, 1920 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Businessman, inventor |
| Known for | Patented and manufactured first workable continuous tracked tractor, led to Caterpillar Inc. |
| Title | President of Holt Manufacturing Company |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Brown |
| Children | Alfred B. Holt, William Knox Holt, Anne Holt, Edison Ames Holt, Benjamin Dean Holt |
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Benjamin Leroy Holt (born January 1, 1849 – died December 5, 1920) was an American businessman and inventor. He is famous for inventing and building the first successful continuous track tractor. This type of track spreads the vehicle's weight over a large area. This helps heavy machines, like those used in farming or construction, move without sinking into soft ground. Benjamin Holt also helped start the Holt Manufacturing Company with his brothers.
Early Life and Family Business
Benjamin Holt was born in Concord, New Hampshire, on January 1, 1849. His father owned a sawmill that made wood for building wagons and coaches. In 1864, Benjamin's brother, Charles H. Holt, moved to San Francisco, California. There, he started a company that made wooden wheels for wagons. His other brothers, William Harrison Holt and Ames Frank Holt, joined him in 1871. Their company sold wood and materials for wagons.
In 1869, Benjamin started working at his father's sawmill. He prepared wood to be sent to his brothers in California. When he was 23, he became part of the business and managed the shipping. After his parents passed away, Benjamin moved to California in 1883.
Building Tractors
When Benjamin Holt arrived in California in 1883, he and his brothers started the Stockton Wheel Company. They chose Stockton, California, because its warm climate was good for drying wood. They invested a lot of money to build a modern factory. Stockton was a good location because ships could reach it through the San Joaquin River. By 1883, they had 25 workers.
Benjamin was known for being a very smart inventor. Many fields around Stockton were wet and soft. Farmers needed better ways to harvest crops like wheat. Benjamin Holt created his first horse-drawn "Link-Belt Combined Harvester." This machine used strong chain belts instead of gears. This made it more reliable and reduced breakdowns. Benjamin also saw that machines could replace horses for pulling farm equipment.
In 1890, Holt built his first experimental steam traction engine, called "Old Betsy." This powerful machine was 24 feet long and weighed 48,000 pounds. It could burn wood, coal, or oil. Holt's tractors could harvest large fields much cheaper than using horses. Loggers also started using them to pull huge Redwood logs out of forests.
In 1892, the Holt company built a steam tractor that could pull 50 tons of goods at 3 miles per hour. This was a huge step forward because, before this, animals did most of the heavy hauling in America. That same year, Benjamin Holt became the president of the company, which was then named the Holt Manufacturing Company.
One of his next inventions was a "side-hill harvester." This machine had two separate frames. These frames allowed the wheels to move up or down independently. This meant the combine could work on slopes as steep as 30 degrees while the threshing part stayed level. However, this machine was 36 feet wide and needed 20 or more horses or mules to pull it.
Benjamin's brothers passed away over the years. By 1905, Benjamin was fully in charge of the company. He married Anne Brown and they had five children. His son, William Knox Holt, later joined him in the business.
Many people around the world had tried to invent a working crawler-type tractor track. But none of them worked well in the fields. In 1903, Holt traveled to England to learn more about these inventions. He saw that none of them were practical. Benjamin returned to Stockton and used his knowledge to design and build the first successful continuous tracks for tractors. On November 24, 1904, he successfully showed off his new track-type tractor in the fields near Stockton.
Use During World War I
During World War I, Holt tractors became very important. They were used to replace horses for pulling heavy artillery and other supplies. The army also used them to pull long lines of supply wagons over rough dirt roads behind the battle lines. Holt tractors even inspired the design of the first British and French tanks. These tanks changed how ground battles were fought forever.
By 1916, about 1,000 of Holt's Caterpillar tractors were used by the British army in World War I. By the end of the war, 10,000 Holt vehicles had helped the Allied forces.
On April 22, 1918, a British Army officer named Colonel Ernest Dunlop Swinton visited Stockton. He publicly thanked Benjamin Holt and his workers for their help in the war. Swinton had suggested building armored vehicles based on Holt's tractors early in the war.
After the war, Holt focused more on building equipment for roads instead of just farm machines. Benjamin Holt passed away on December 5, 1920, at 71 years old. Five years later, the Holt Caterpillar Company joined with its main competitor, the C. L. Best company. This new company became Caterpillar Inc., which is now one of the largest companies in the world.
Legacy
Benjamin Holt's inventions changed farming and construction forever. A street in northern Stockton, California, is named Benjamin Holt Drive in his honor. Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy, a middle and high school, is also named after him.
The Holt Memorial Hall opened at The Haggin Museum in Stockton in 1976. It shows off his contributions to farming machines. You can see a very old combine harvester from 1904 there. It is pulled by a restored Holt '75' Caterpillar tractor from around 1918.
Benjamin Holt's great-grandson, Peter Holt, now runs HOLT CAT in San Antonio, Texas. This is the largest Caterpillar dealership in the United States. Peter Holt is also known as the owner of the NBA team, the San Antonio Spurs.
Benjamin Holt is buried at Stockton Rural Cemetery in Stockton, California.
See also
- Daniel Best
- Bulldozer
- Peter Holt
