Military Wiki
Holt75pk

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]

Holt tractor hauling a 9.2 inch Howitzer to a forward area

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[]

8inchHowitzerMk1BeingTowedSomme1916

8 inch Howitzer Mk V being towed by a Holt tractor at the Battle of the Somme, 1917

References[]

External links[]

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