The First Tractor
Benjamin Holt
Benjamin Holt lived in Concord, New Hampshire with his 7 other siblings. He moved to California with his other brothers and started a mill. The name was Stoken Wheel Co. After a while they realized that California was a really big agriculture area. So, they started to build machines for the farmers so there job would be easier for them. Benjamin Designed several different types of machines. His first machines used horses to pull later using steam. One particular was a 50 ft. combine that needed 40 horses to pull. The farmers had trouble because they could not feed and house so many horses.
The Start of the Tractor
When the farmers spoke up about how big and it coasted to much money to use the other equipment, he listened. In 1904 Holt created the first tractor. This tractor had tracks instead of wheels, these treads got the name "caterpillar" treads.The military used the the treads for their tanks. With the treads the tractor would not sink in soft soil. The tractor weighed 45,000 pounds. Although it could carry 50 tons and moved 3 mph, it did the work in one sixth the time of his other equipment. This first version was steamed powered, it carried 600 gallons of water. Later in 1906 he created a gasoline version.
With this new invention farmers could do the work in the fields one sixth the time as before. This faster time allowed them to plant more crops making them more money. Today almost every farm will have more than one tractor. Each of these tractors will have a specific job to do, like one for haying one for harvesting, etc. The tractors now are much smaller and much bigger, but they weigh a lot less and can do a lot more work in much shorter time. Even some sports use tractors. For example, at almost every fair you will find tractor pulls. In these events people take a tractor and make them much stronger and faster and then pull weights. who ever can pull the most the farthest and fastest wins.
- " Benjamin Holt’s First Tractor | Benjamin Holt." HACKED!. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. <http://www.benjaminholt.com/2010/04/08/benjamin-holts-first-tractor/>.
- Pernie, Gwenyth Laird. "Benjamin Holt (1849-1920): The Father of the Caterpillar tractor | Articles | Waste Handling Equipment News." Waste Handling Equipment News. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. <http://www.wastehandling.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&id=47C5DE563581487B9E4394B939909F9E&tier=4>.
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