Benjamin Holt

Benjamin Holt (1849 – 1920) was an American inventor who developed David Roberts' design for one of the first practical caterpillar tracks for use in tractors. The caterpillar type track is used to spread the weight of heavy agricultural and engineering vehicles out over a large area to prevent the vehicle from sinking into the mud. He acquired the patent from Richard Hornsby & Sons in 1914.

Sinking into the mud was a common problem on farmland surrounding Stockton, California where Holt made his residence. Caterpillar tracks allowed practical cultivation on an industrial scale on the rich farmland.

Holt formed The Holt Manufacturing Company in the early 20th century. Caterpillar tracked tractors were credited as providing some inspiration for the invention of the tank. Later, after Benjamin Holt's death in 1920, the Holt Manufacturing Company of Stockton, California, merged with C.L. Best Tractor Co. of San Leandro, California, to form the Caterpillar Tractor Co., which is now Caterpillar Inc. of Peoria, Illinois, USA. The Holt tractor was constructed under the Caterpillar banner as the Caterpillar 60.

A street in northern Stockton, California is named Benjamin Holt Drive in his honor. There is also a school named after him.

The Holt Memorial Hall, dedicated to his contributions to the mechanizations in agriculture, opened at The Haggin Museum in Stockton, California in 1976. It includes the oldest combine harvester on display in the United States (a 1904 Haines-Houser harvester) drawn by a circa-1918 Holt '75' Caterpillar track-type tractor. Both pieces are fully-restored.

Benjamin Holt is most often cited as the founder of Caterpillar Inc.

See also

• Daniel Best
• Civil Engineering
• Bulldozer
• Warren Atherton