![]() On Thanksgiving Day in 1904, this tracked machine, known as No.77, was given its first field test and performed admirably. After some research, Holt instructed his mechanics to remove the rear wheels from a Holt steam tractor and replace them with a pair of tracks he had designed. Holt’s main market was agricultural fields around the San Joaquin River Valley in Northern California, and the area’s geography made it difficult to prepare for crops, as the heavy steam tractors would get stuck in the soggy peat soil. ![]() The Emergence of TracksĮver the inventor, Holt was always looking for ways to improve his company’s products, which at the time included combine harvesters and wheeled steam tractors. This invention not only became one of our cornerstone products, but its development also led to the name we have today: Caterpillar. The most significant engineering innovation attributed to Benjamin Holt, one of our founders, was the invention of the first commercially successful track-type tractor – today’s dozer. ![]()
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