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.
External links[]
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