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Historic 1918 Holt 75 Crawler to Be Offered at the Fall Premier

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Historic 1918 Holt 75 Crawler to Be Offered at the Fall Premier BY HAILEY SCHULTE HISTORIC 1918 HOLT 75 CRAWLER TO BE OFFERED AT THE FALL PREMIER As the progenitor of the game-changing “Caterpillar” track-driven tractor, the Holt line of early crawlers left a lasting legacy that lives on today through the modern Caterpillar Inc. A prime example is this rare piece of Caterpillar history, the 1918 Holt 75 Crawler. Conceived, built and retained in Stockton, California, this is one of a little more than 3,000 tiller-wheel Holt tractors that played an integral part in harvesting history. What started as a solution to redefine the farming lifestyle in soft-soiled and marshy terrain turned into a much-desired tractor around the world. 2 • MONTHLY Realizing the unique needs of agricultural workers standard tractor wheels coupled with the weight of along the lands of the San Joaquin Valley River Delta in the heavy-duty machines, most tractors tended to get California, innovator Ben Holt felt compelled to help. bogged down in the soft-soiled lands, making the jobs He wanted to solve the issue of sinking tractors, and of farmers far more difficult. By creating a track-based utilizing a track base in place of the standard tractor wheel design, Holt was able to offer a tractor that was wheels of the day was a potential solution that seemed suited to the specific needs of the California Delta’s to offer some promise. Due to the thinness of the era’s farmers and ultimately make their lives much easier. Starting in the late 1890s, Holt worked diligently to try to to create military-grade tractors. This enabled Holt to create perfect the crawler apparatus, even purchasing patents from around 4,165 machines, and about 1,500 of them for the military. competing companies that pioneered similar designs to help The new-for-the-1900s 75 HP is what sparked the initial military expedite development. Holt wished to be the head of the intrigue, however, this war-closing-year 1918 Holt 75 Crawler, along competition, and by the year 1904, he had finally produced with the majority of 75s, were used for agricultural purposes. and demonstrated his first successful Holt Crawler. This first Ultimately, the run of the 75 was short-lived as demand came to track-driven machine is said to be where the term “caterpillar” an abrupt halt at the end of the war. When the military contracts originated. As the story goes, Holt was testing out his 1904 were terminated, Holt was left with excess machines later sold crawler when the term was first uttered by the photographer as war surplus; for years after the war’s end, these tractors could he had invited to document the occasion who, upon observing be found in various farming municipalities as well as on the the movements of the crawler, noted that it “moved like a occasional construction or logging property. caterpillar.” This initial term usage made Holt’s ears perk, and The surplus created a lull for Holt in what was still a competitive he unofficially began referring to his machines as such until tractor market, but it didn’t stop Holt from striving to maintain securing a trademark in 1910. his reputation for superior quality offerings. Even while dealing Not only did the movement set the crawlers apart from other with numerous legal patent ordeals and failing to acquire the farming machinery at the time, but their size and carrying final one-third of his top competitor’s business—the Daniel ability did as well. By 1916, Holt’s crawler line had become the Best Manufacturing Company—Holt was still able to out- world’s best-selling tiller-steered, track-laying tractor. These produce his rivals and maintain a solidified and dependable attributes caught the attention of both U.S. and British military brand name. In 1920, Benjamin Holt died, leaving his company leaders, and during World War I, The Allies contracted Holt behind and the authority to new chairman, Thomas Baxter. MECUM.COM • 5 they were able to lead the successful merger and subsequent shift from the independently operated Holt Manufacturing Company and C.L. Best Tractor Company to what is now the still-renowned Caterpillar Inc. the world knows today. This particular 1918 Holt 75 Crawler is a wonderful example of Caterpillar’s origins. The tractor spent its life where Holt Manufacturing Company was initially founded: Stockton, California. It is said that this red- and green-coated tractor has allegedly never been on a trailer in its life, trekking from the factory to the original owner’s land on its own two tracks. This is an extremely rare and unique piece of Caterpillar history, produced before “Caterpillar” as a company was even a concept. As one of the last 75s made in 1918, this tractor is seldom available to the public, making it an exclusive find that spent the entirety of its life on Roberts Island, the very same place where these tractors—and the Caterpillar term—were first conceived. Ready to be featured at the Davenport, Iowa, Gone Farmin’ auction this November 6-9, this 1918 Holt 75 Crawler is prepped for a new home with someone who admires the ingenuity of original and historic Caterpillar machinery. It presents a chance to own a piece of history that recalls not only the unique agricultural and military needs of the 1900s, but also the inimitable spirit of innovation of Ben Holt and his track- driven originals. This rarity of a machine is one that anyone would be lucky to get their hands on. Realizing the legacy that Holt had already established as well as a still unfulfilled demand from farmers, Baxter continued on with Holt’s dream and rebranded the company as Caterpillar Tractor Company in 1925 in honor of the late innovator and his Delta-inspired tractor design, while simultaneously merging with the C.L. Best Tractor Company—an offshoot of the Daniel Best Manufacturing Company owned by Daniel Best’s son. Tuned to the changing needs of an ever-evolving agricultural environment, Baxter had the company shift focus slightly under his tutelage, calling for the production of smaller builds that still utilized the continued track-based design. Baxter’s reign ended that same year, and the CEO position was returned to farming spearhead C.L. Best, the former CEO and partial owner of the Daniel Best Gas Traction Company and the C.L. Best Tractor Company. Ultimately, thanks to both Baxter’s and Best’s effective leadership and solid grasp of market demands, OFFERED NOVEMBER 8 AT DAVENPORT 2019 MECUM.COM • 7.
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