traces roots founding california united_states later credited tractor design incorporated company successfully manufacture continuous track tractor start 20th century leading manufacturer combine united_states leading california based manufacturer steam traction engines operated base california opening satellite facility washington serve pacific_northwest expanded purchasing facility defunct farm implement maker illinois changed company trademark company initial products focused agricultural machinery distributed internationally world war production capacity dedicated military needs widely allies place horses haul heavy artillery tow supply trains played varying degrees development military tanks great_britain france germany equipment credited helping allies win war tractor regarded important military vehicles time gained worldwide recognition quality equipment war ended company left huge surplus heavy duty ill suited agricultural market dominated war primary competitor company decided focus instead heavy construction equipment sought capitalize passage laden debt needing capital switch product line company struggled forward hurt depression sales companies streamlined product lines companies spent million today legal fees fighting contractual trademark patent infringement lawsuits advice investors companies merged form tractor largest company world company origins arrived san_francisco concord new_hampshire form initially company produced wooden wheels wagons later steel wheels age younger brother benjamin went work father new_hampshire preparing shipping charles san_francisco william joined charles san_francisco year charles established san_francisco company sold hardwood lumber wagon carriage materials primarily manufacturing wagon wheels frames temporarily returned new_hampshire married manage eastern business brothers built factory concord new_hampshire manufacture wagon wheels wheel components bodies running gear age benjamin given interest father business assumed responsibility company operations moved ohio manage company lumber business remained early 1880s mother died father died years later father death left new_hampshire help charles build business california charles benjamin frank incorporated january deal lumber iron days later filed incorporation papers manufacturing company directors formed subsidiary wheel company build wheels based company warm town california ideal location reached sea going ship miles east san_francisco hot season woods way prepare use arid valleys california west factory cost build horsepower steam engine manufactured providence rhode_island shipped plant machines driven belts connected engine benjamin eventually bought brothers charles running business benjamin running manufacturing operations year subsidiary produced wagon wheels carriage bodies popular wheel types feet diameter connected wheels strong feet axle attached team horses pull logs forest farm equipment late 19th century large number companies world build practical horse drawn combine farm equipment soon moved steam powered farm machinery later designs type patents issued designs began manufacturing horse drawn combine 1890s converted steam power types start 20th century years designed manufactured successful type tractor designed gasoline engine tractor design california san direct competitors resolved patent infringement lawsuit retired gave son best sold remaining thirds roughly equivalent today plant manager new concern retained effective control stay long left form replace father firm resulting difficulties men registered trademark plant illinois wanted find manufacturing facilities closer vast agricultural markets midwest nephew dispatched march minneapolis minnesota began manufacturing operations shipped parts model produced met implement dealer knew available factory manufacture farm steam traction engines baker later executive vice president wrote headquarters described plant bankrupt illinois inspected factory late june learned spent relatively new building machinery acquire assets note held trust company wrote letter management team july reporting plant complete perfect detail seen best arranged plants saw october purchased factory immediately began preparing plant operations employees incorporated illinois california january accepted deed plant east eastern manufacturing plant competing nearby facility proved profitable years later facility employed people argentina canada mexico built east engineers building mile long bought model haul supplies hauled short tons grade impressed ordered giving tractor company considerable credibility substantially sales merged merged companies combined capital million merged san illinois post war challenges widely artillery world war capabilities reliability known gained valuable experience securing government contracts capabilities separated competition obtained significant loans begun large expansion meet war planners need steam powered tank evaluation steam engines concentrated supplying market smaller agricultural best war effort secured promises federal government able obtain steel required continue building farmers war result best gained considerable market advantage war end best assumed considerable debt allow continue expansion especially production new best model war ended planned expansion meet military needs longer needed company left difficult situation types needed military different farmers needed situation worsened artillery brought europe depressing prices new equipment inventory military company moved focus agricultural machinery producing road building equipment company afloat borrowed heavily companies affected transition wartime peacetime economy contributed nationwide depression sales december year old died month long illness considered quiet man loved work liked workers dedicated trust fund employees suffered financial difficulties company formed banks held company large debt forced board directors accept candidate succeed boston banker joined company business manager company struggled transition wartime boom peacetime bust initially cut large company product line introduced smaller models focused agricultural market funded billion federal highway building program began focusing company assets road construction formed faced fierce competition company best spent million legal fees fighting companies competed economically patents nephew patents best founder received patents son patents bond house san_francisco involved funding debt shareholders approached company financial plight concluded companies survive recommended best companies consolidate operations april financially stronger merged market leader form tractor removed ceo earlier assumed title ceo remained role october new company headquartered terms merger moved company consolidated product lines offering track type ton ton ton old product line product line ton ton models discontinued ton discontinued completely new tractor produced union companies death bill formed mexico authorized operate southern counties texas company merged business renamed continues largest united_states ownership management benjamin great grandson better known owner nba time world champions largest company world best performing stock year companies jones industrial average market value billion companies stock tracked jones industrial average fortune company ranked number industry billion assets tractor design horse drawn combine brothers benjamin showed technically adept saw need farm machinery expanded company line include farm equipment including combine steam powered traction engines required pull fields produced horse drawn link belt combined allowed farmer combine cutting grain single mechanical operation enabling farmers cut wheat pass increasing productivity cutting labor hours nearly half key innovation implemented flexible chain belts gears transmit power ground wheels working parts machine company sold combine foot cutting bar pulled horse team largest combine manufactured foot long cutting bar comparison large modern combines foot cutting bar combines needed horses operate adapted combine work slopes added separate wooden frames enabled drive wheels raised lowered independently allowed combine operate slopes steep degrees machine remained level built experimental steam traction engine nicknamed old built foot long frame developed horsepower single cylinder inch diameter inch stroke burn wood coal oil fuel carrying gallons imp gal water traction engine weighed pounds rode huge metal wheels popular despite weight awkward size harvest large fields sixth cost horse drawn combine soon adapted haul logs road forests company employees sold combined california manufacturing steam powered steam extremely heavy weighing pounds horsepower sank rich soft earth valley delta farmland surrounding california tried solve problem increasing size width wheels increasingly complex expensive difficult maintain tractor wheels feet tall feet wide producing tractor feet wide spend hours private workshop experimented adding multiple wheels ultimately track laying technique crawling people attempted add tracks moving machines patents issued worldwide failed work practical situations paid right produce vehicles patent center innovation england year traveled england learn ongoing development period chief engineer managing director england experimenting chain track design incorporated steering clutch varied speed set wheels allowing operator turn tractor roberts obtained patent design july december considerable influence competitors including returned applied skills company expertise design testing develop track laying system replaced wheels horsepower steamer set wooden tracks chains thanksgiving day november successfully tested updated machine delta land company photographer reported observed tractor like seized metaphor reported got british troops witnessed working prototype track type vehicle july continuous tracks allowed practical cultivation rich farmland industrial scale invention allowed reclaim thousands acres delta land previously farming began producing models brand production model dual track frame inches high inches wide feet long tracks inches previously produce wagon wheels sold model steam powered tractor company employed workers plant nearly sold countries gasoline engines son benjamin half brother working past years named president newly formed named aurora street located new company manufactured gasoline engines replace large heavy steam boilers power earlier gasoline engine considerably reduced overall size weight tractor produced power pound weight reduced tractor cost making cost effective affordable popular gasoline engine tractor model weighing pounds horsepower engine treasurer subsidiary having better power weight ratio gasoline engined tractor required fewer men operate competing steam engines typically required crew seven including highly skilled paid licensed farm engineer responsible rising middle night start boiler fire steam light steam traction boilers huge need water fuel coal wood seven man crew time spent keeping fueled wheel introduced tractor virtually carbon copy design conventional wheel steer crawling type wheels looked similar traction engine best introduced models steering wheel offered best introduced patents trademark disputes aggressively defended patents quick sue felt rights june claimed certain devices held trademark sent farmers owned california letter containing demand stop competitor face lawsuit month sued infringement patents traveling combined defendants successfully filed getting suit dismissed months later competitors nature warned farmers considering buying equipment prosecuted patent infringement payment best patent infringement lawsuit ensued years legal battles companies decided settle court parties resolved suits cash payment provided license giving access patents applying manufacturing bought father old factory closed acquiring company built new factory location company gained attention continued improvements products buys patent received patent december improved traction engine improvement vehicles especially traction engine class included endless traveling platform supports engine carried designed gasoline engine power tractor paid today rights use patents visited complaining patent infringement opinion expensive lawyers concluded patents little value prior art visited took country drive raised issue money merely suggested divide country northern woods remainder nation promised write letter effect best patent exhibited new california state fair sued time patent infringement thought best defense prove patents violated patents best lawyers visited sought assistance friendly witness friendly allegedly responded god young man glad god charter kill man train california kill old best bought rights patents pre dated patents purchased earlier rights patents best counter sued trademark credited producing practical continuous tracks use registered trademark best named began building model plant model factory additional models followed including model sold eventually renamed model best selling wheeled tractor competitor emerges son left general manager established father company near california immediately sued claiming breach contract infringement owner believed owned best prevail best continued produce directly competed models continued worked build tractor perform rugged tasks heavy fitted blades hired grade roads soil rock construction purposes sold worldwide early military uses england starting attempted interest british military officials tracked vehicle failed bought patents related chain track track type tractor value unlike tractor wheel tracks steered controlling power track world war broke problem trench warfare difficulty transporting supplies pulling power crawling type drew attention military company vice president general manager retired traveled offer services appointed chief ordnance serve chairman board organized handle production artillery program ordered tractor trials powerful horsepower tractor horsepower better suited haul heavy loads uneven ground load tractor managed walking pace miles hour load manage miles hour importantly readily available quantity suitably impressed chose gun tractor representatives french company present trial ordered number model known baby unlike models fully tracked forward wheel model gasoline powered tractor standard tractor adopted quantity vice president reported weighed pounds horsepower company meet demand licensed manufacturers build design years major artillery tractor mainly haul medium guns like inch pounder later inch hauled artillery supplies allies frequently place horses hauling artillery supplies tracks allowing negotiate terrain impassable horse teams wheeled vehicles haul long trains freight wagons dirt tracks particularly useful october britain france sent divisions assist italians ferried supplies ammunition steep twisting mountain roads weeks companies dual role gun supply trains campaign influence development tanks europe major sent france army war correspondent soon saw potential track laying tractor proposed sir secretary british build power driven bullet proof tracked vehicle destroy enemy machine guns inspiration development british tank carried rudimentary trial tractor key figures tank development including influenced investigated possibilities tracked fighting vehicles decided pursue production design instead independently developed british tanks french purchased usa basis early tanks later war austro hungarian army loaned germans formed basis german tank use british world war end war received model model cylinder model eighth approximately vehicles allied forces tank prototypes washington supervised design building ton ton ton artillery based tractor design request board work finally completed conjunction engineers company tank built prototype utilizing combined gasoline electric propulsion horsepower cylinder engine produced power generator turn provided current drive electric motors motor track progress prototype stage produced tracked gun carriers prototype mark gun mount carried inches weighed pounds road speed mile hour miles hour additional prototypes produced including mark mark departed slightly prior models completed preliminary study man tank later built ford company prototypes rejected trials found size offer relative agility required tank cross country travel produced self propelled gun travel miles hour exceeding military requirement miles hour climb degree slope work completed armistice signed war ended self propelled artillery garner attention end 1930s world war returned company mark vii designed built millimetres gun mounted ran speed miles hour company finished mark achieved speeds miles hour test run san_francisco british april british colonel unsuccessfully advocated base armoured fighting vehicle traveled tour usa publicly thanked workers contribution war effort relayed england gratitude developer track wooden miniature early british tank powered motorcycle engine built especially showcased pictures colonel visit
Holt Manufacturing Company