The Holt 75 tractor, circa 1914
The Holt tractors were a range of caterpillar tractors built by the Holt Manufacturing Company, which was named after Benjamin Holt
Military Use
They were most famously used by the British, French and American armies in World War I for hauling heavy artillery: including BL 9.2 inch Howitzer and the BL 8 inch Howitzer. By 1916 more than 1000 were in use by British and by the end of the war around 10,000 had been used.[1]
A Holt tractor hauling a 9.2 inch Howitzer to a forward area in The Battle of the Somme July–November 1916
Specification
There were at least two models used for military purposes: the Holt 75 and the Holt 120. The 6-cylinder 120 horsepower (89 kW) model had a tiller-type steering wheel at the front that was usually covered, as well as huge individual track clutches. It weighed about 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg).[2] The 75 h.p. model utilized a similar steering arrangement to the larger model and had a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). It had a 4-cylinder gasoline engine.[3]
Literature
- Holt Tractors Photo Archive: An Album of Steam and Early Gas Tractors, ISBN 978-1-882256-10-5
8 inch Howitzer Mk V being towed by a Holt tractor at the Battle of the Somme, 1917
References
- ↑ "Caterpillar Inc: Roots in Late 19th-Century Endeavors of Best and Holt". International Directory of Company Histories. 63. Farmington Hills, Michigan: St. James Press. 2004. ISBN 1-55862-508-9. http://www.enotes.com/company-histories/caterpillar-inc/roots-late-19th-century-endeavors-best-holt.
- ↑ "British 'Tanks' of American Type; Officer of Holt Manufacturing Co. Says England Bought 1,000 Tractors Here". The New York Times. 1916-09-16. p. 1. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9506E7DE143BE633A2575AC1A96F9C946796D6CF.
- ↑ "Vehicles of the A.E.F. During WWI". http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacunithistories/Vehicles%20of%20the%20AEF.html.
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