TracTracTor Tradition
International Harvester crawlers were born on the farm
Oscar H. Will III
Modern crawlers are so universally associated with dozer blades and dirt work that it’s hard to imagine that their fundamental design was born of a prime-moving need for more flotation and traction on the farm. Indeed, when Holt Mfg. Co. released the first successful gasoline-powered crawler in 1908, the tractor was designed specifically to work California’s rich Sacramento River delta, and its duties were all about pull. Although this tractor had some reliability difficulties, its successes were significant enough to net Holt nearly 200 competitors within less than a decade. When the dust from bankruptcies and consolidation settled in 1920, only about 10 manufacturers remained in business. By decade’s end, that number was halved, which made room for one more player – International Harvester Co.
Exactly why IH didn’t claim a share of the tracklayer market early on is anyone’s guess, but most Harvester historians point to complex patent issues relating to crawler undercarriage design, and the company’s intense focus on wheeled tractors. Market size also played a role in the decision-making process, since crawler tractor production rarely amounted to more than 10 percent of wheeled tractor counterparts. However, International Harvester engineers were well aware of advantages associated with endless-track drive systems long before the company entered the crawler market, and had worked with them as early as 1916 or 1917.
(Excerpt from Farm Collector, January 2007)