1872 Robert C. Parvin

Robert C. Parvin crawler patent, 1872, N° 119878 : "Improvement in Traction-Engines" oct 10, 1871. And N° RE4753 13 February 1872. It is a tricycle model, with two guiding wheels at the front and a single wide track at the rear. In the book : 'The Caterpillar's Roots' by Jack Alexander, there is an illustration of the Parvin crawler as demonstrated in California, taken from a farm magazine published at the time (1873).
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index8.html

1873 Henry Stith

Henry Stith Traction Wheels. On the 6th of May, 1873, Henry T. Stith, a Kansas farmer and American Civil War Veteran, received US patent 138707  for a "Traction Wheel". Stith put his track assembly on a horse-drawn street-car and exhibited it at a Kansas City fair in 1879. He turned down an offer of $50,000 for the rights to the brightly painted red-and-yellow Patent Traction Street Railway that he took to the fair, because he thought it was worth millions. On the 17th of February, 1880, he received the US patent 224741 for a variation on his "Traction Wheel". Then, on the 24th of July, 1900, he received the US Patent 654291 for another "Traction Wheel".
The US publication, 'Popular Science', published an article about Stith and his "Traction Wheels" in the June 1944 issue (the month of the D-Day landings in Normandy, although the author could not have known that when he wrote the article). He drew a line from Stith through Holt to the tank.
At the time of the writing of the article, Stith's son still had the bicycle that Henry Stith built for him.
Text from : Robert Graumann. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index15.html

1878 Clement Ader

Endless Track of Clement Ader, 1878. Clement Agnès Ader (1841-1925) of Muret, Haute-Garonne, filed two patents in 1875 and 1878 of an endless track. Then, on May 3, 1875 and February 19, 1878, Ader submitted additives to his "Track System for Detachable Railways", a model and a functional prototype.
After a first unsuccessful attempt with the War Ministry, Ader thought of advertising his invention in the gardens of Paris, where one sometimes saw small vehicles pulled by goats. With the help of his father, who was an intermittent coachman, he built his prototype and files a new patent, then drove his team to Paris at the Tuileries Garden or the Buttes-Chaumont Park, where he sometimes drove up to thirty children. Equipped with these caterpillars consisting, on each side of the cart, two small wheels between the two big used usually, all linked by large straps camel hairs resting on the ground, and despite the weight of children, cars did not get bogged down in the sand. Despite the cheerful reviews of the press, he still found no buyer for his invention. https://www.cairn.info/revue-romantisme-2013-4-page-125.htm
https://books.google.fr/books?id=LQ4hwJPYdoIC&pg=PA156&lpg=PA156&dq=chenilles+vehicules+clement+ader&source=bl&ots=8y8xV2P5nY&sig=0QJJmReRh9h3uDu0ghSfQ_4J4HY&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwixhNabwrveAhUK6RoKHdbEB_

c4ChDoATABegQIARAB#v=onepage&q=chenilles%20vehicules%20clement%20ader&f=false
http://archives.haute-garonne.fr/service_

educatif/portraits/clement_Ader/Ader.html

Endless Track of Clement Ader at Tuilleries Park, 1879. In France, in 1871-1874, were published 36 patents for the invention of "movable rails" and "moving wheels". http://cnum.cnam.fr/CGI/sresrech.cgi?4KY28.13/377.

1878 Stefan Mayevsky

S. Mayevsky track, 1878. In 1876, Stefan Mayevsky proposed the project "a method of moving trains with a locomotive on ordinary roads". Its essence was "the movement of wagons on ordinary dirt roads by means of a special steam engine, moving with the train, on a special device consisting of an endless chain". In other words, it was already a self-propelled car. A number of pivotally connected trolleys rested with their rollers on a track. The iron caterpillar was indeed the development of the usual ring chain. Such a design would give the crawler the flexibility to rotate: it was produced by folding it in the horizontal plane by rotating the front roller. To stay on the track, each roll was provided with two ribs. A steam engine was mounted on one of the carriages. The design included an octagon-shaped drive wheel and even a stepped gearbox, recalling the shifting of a modern racing bike. There was also a device for adjusting the tension of the chain. In 1878, Mayevsky received a ten-year privilege, but no attempt was made to build a prototype.
Earlier, in March 1839, Vasily Terter received the privilege of a "transportable mobile railway with a cargo projectile rolling on a moving road", which was not exploited. At the beginning of 1863, the college evaluator Maklakov, originally from the peasants, was able to enjoy a ten-year privilege on the "road embankment" with a "roller chain". According to the description, the rolling gear of the "projectile" was a system of "rollers movable between them by means of caterpillars representing an endless chain" and "rails that could be fixed, as on railways, or mobile, located on the device."
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=fr&sl=ru&u=http://arsenal-info.ru/b/book/2764517002/7&prev=search

1879 Feodor Abramovich Blinov

Blinov Tractor, 1879. Feodor Abramovich Blinov was a Russian inventor who introduced on the first tracked vehicles (a wagon on continuous tracks) in 1877 (patented in 1879), then developed his idea and built the first steam-powered continuous track tractor for farm usage (1881-1888). His self-propelled crawler was successfully tested and displayed at farmer's exhibition in 1896.
In 1888, the first tractor was completed. It was similar to the "car", but instead of horses, he installed a steam boiler. There were two single cylinder steam engines with a power of 10-12 horsepower at 40 rpm. Each track was driven separately by means of cast iron gears.

Feodor Abramovich Blinov. In early 1880, Feodor Abramovich moved to the country town of Volsk, where he worked as a mechanic. In the summer of 1880 the "car" was built, and Blinov tested it on plowed fields, dirt roads, and even marshy terrain. The tests confirmed the efficiency and advantages of crawler track compared to the wheel. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index6.html

Blinov Carriage, 1879. Drawings of the "car" and a crawler train, the corresponding privileges F. A. Blinov of 1879 in Russia. On January 8, 1881, the Saratovsky Leaf newspaper reported from Volsk: "Blinov, the inventor of endless rails, recently tested his platform. The platform, with self-propelled rails, loaded with 550 pounds (2,000 bricks and more than 30 adults), coupled with a pair of ordinary horses, has recently driven several times through the streets of our city, causing a surprise and universal approval ." After that, Blinov started to develop a self-propelled version. In 1888, he built a steam tractor with a caterpillar, four pairs of drive rollers. Each caterpillar was driven by a separate steam engine. The fuel for the steam engine was oil, the turning being done by changing the engine speed on one side by adjusting the steam supply. Suspension of the rollers to the chassis of the car was difficult. Drive wheels were at the rear, with cast iron rims. http://arsenal-info.ru/b/book/2764517002/7

Blinov tracked trailer, 1877. Trailer car wagon of Blinov constructions. In his first invention, Blinov advanced the idea of using a train of 4 non-driving crawlers. From: Tracked Transport and Technology Machinery, Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University. http://old.nntu.ru/trudy/2016/01/109-164.pdf

1884 George F. Page Crawler

George F. Page Crawler, 1884, US patent 296998, issued to George F. Page, of Baltimore, Maryland, for a Road-Engine on April 15, 1884. The hubs of front wheels can pivot near their center line. He said in the patent : "By this construction, in turning the pilot-wheels the chain tracks are never tightened, and only slackened to a slight extent, and there is less tendency of the chains to override the edge of the pilot-wheels". But there was no steering effect because here did not appear to be any lateral movement built into the track chain. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index10.html

George F. Page Crawler, 1884, image from the review : Scientific American Magazine for June 20, 1885.

1885 Christian Baker

Baker propeller for vessels, 1885. The rowing caterpillar for ships has been proposed several times : recall the patent of George Hart of 1884, Christian Baker of 1885, Goldsbury Bridge of 1890, the last two tracks, composed of hollow "tracks" should have provide buoyancy to the ship and also allowing moving on the ground. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=fr&sl=ru&u=http://arsenal-info.ru/b/book/2764517002/7&prev=search

1886, Charles Dinsmoor

Charles Dinsmoor, Warren, Pennsylvania, was also granted GB Patent No. 13651, dated October 25, 1886 and US Patent No. 351,749 was filed February 17, 1886. Also patents : Patent No 9782 May 9, 1902 Schiepatti and Izar "Wheels with portable tracks", John Bickford's GB Patent No. 3439 of 1879 in which feet were supported on linked pairs of wheels, Richard Waller's GB Patent No. 1688 of 1877 for an endless track for agricultural vehicles, which we would recognize today as a conventional endless track. Also Richard Brooman's GB Patent 1074 of 1862 : "Linked Rollers used as Wheels". In 1886, in the United States, Elkart developed a semi-tracked steam tractor, in which the track was placed on the rear wheel guide and the drive wheel, with the smaller diameter, elevated. http://www.users.waitrose.com/~rogerbeamond/INVENTION.pdf

1886 W. Applegarth

Applegarth, 1886. US patent N° 352385 for a Road Engine of W. Applegarth. Fuller in his book: "Tanks in the Great War" (1920) stated: "The track being raised in front gives an initial elevation when an obstacle is met with and very greatly assists in surmounting banks and other irregularities". This tractor was probably not built. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index16.htmlhttps://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index16.html

1886 Benjamin S. Benson

1886 Benson's Crawler. On January 12, 1886, Benjamin S. Benson, 52 E. Monument St., Baltimore, Maryland, received a US Patent 334333, for a Traction Engine. It was a tracked vehicle, with a vague resemblance to Diplock's Pedrail. Benson designed it as a ploughing engine. It was steered by means of a cart which ran ahead of the tractor, and pushed the front idler sprocket to one side or the other. There was a steering wheel that steered the cart, but the cart was designed to follow the previously ploughed furrows, providing a form of automatic steering. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index10.html

1886 Benson's Crawler Improved Farm Locomotive. The rear sprocket wheel was driven by a suitably arranged steam engine. There was a certain amount of play between the links of the track chains, so as to allow the track to be laid in a curve. The front sprocket wheel was hung in a swiveled frame, so as to lay the track to the right or left; the locomotive could be turned in a radius of twenty feet. The inventor, Mr. Benson, informs us that a twenty horse power engine of this type plowed under test three acres six inches deep in one hour. Although the ground was very wet and soft, the engine did not sink nor slip, and did the work well. Further particulars could be had by addressing the inventor. It seems this machine has been built. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index10.html

1887 Guillaume (William) Fender

1887 Patent issued to Guillaume (William) Fender of Buenos Ayres for a 'wheel with endless rail', US patent 373887.  It appears to be a variation on Bramah Diplock's various pedwheels. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index17.html

1888 Frank Batter

Edwards H. Crawler, US patent 124042 of George H. Edwards, Lanark, Illinois was filled for 'Improvements in Braced Chains' on February 27, 1872. He used the word 'Tractor' for the first time in a later patent 232395 of 1880. His patent 425600, 1890 was filled for a tractor, which was never built. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index9.html

Edwards Track, 1890, US Patent 232395 issued to George H. Edwards, of Lanark, Illinois for a Traction-Truck on September 21, 1890

1891 Clark

 1892 Charles H. Stratton

Stratton Traction Engine,1892 : US patent 492637 for a "Traction-Engine", filed by Charles H. Stratton of Brandt, Pennsylvania, on July 25, 1892, and issued on February 28, 1893. The picture comes from a farm magazine, the 'Album of Historical Steam Traction Engines' by Floyd Clymer of 25 Marsh 1893. Probably no model built. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index8.html

1898 A. & J. Smith

Adam Smith and John Smith of Blissville, Illinois : Traction wheel, 1898 from patent  US597594. 'The object is to provide a traction wheel with mud-shoes and a simple means for automatically moving the shoes into position relatively to the rim of the wheel, to serve as teeth for engaging in mud or soft roads, to prevent slipping of the wheels, and also to employ the same means, but in a different position, to move the shoes into the rim of the wheel while traveling over hard roads'.

Adam Smith and John Smith Traction wheel.

1899 Bramah Joseph Diplock

Pedrail Wheel tractor about 1900. On right, the Pedrail Wheel from the patent of 1899. Bramah Joseph Diplock filled a patent N° 14710 : ‘Improvements in Traction Engines and Other Vehicles’ on 17th July 1899. Later called the pedrail wheel, it improved locomotion on soft or uneven terrains for agricultural machinery. Feet (pedes in Latin) were articulated on the rim of a wheel. More complex systems incorporated a suspension system in the wheel.
Just before in 1893, Diplock filled his first patent for a huge 4x4 locomotive and its transmission, with large differentials, even, later, 3 differentials. From the book : 'The Development of the English Traction Engine' by Ronald H. Clark, published back in 1960.
Diplock himself wrote a book : ‘New System of Heavy Goods Transport on Common Roads', 1902 :
https://archive.org/details/newsystemofheavy00diplrich/page/n5, http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/PeterS/media/bWVkaWFJZDo3MDM3NTk0MQ==/?ref=,

Diplock Wheel models, about 1900. Pictures issued from the Book of Bramah Joseph Diplock, http://www.archive.org/stream/pagesweekly631londuoft#page/808/mode/1up, https://archive.org/details/newsystemofheavy00diplrich/page/n5

Pedrail Wheel Tractor, around 1900. From the classic volume 'The Development of the English Traction Engine' by Ronald H. Clark, published back in 1960. It was the second machine of Diplock, probably the same as the first picture above.
http://cyberneticzoo.com/walking-machines/1900-pedrail-walking-wheel-bramah-j-diplock-british, https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index9.html

Diplock tests for War Office in 1905. J. B. Diplock is standing on left in the group. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramah_Joseph_Diplock

Diplock chain track from UK patent 3107 applied for on February 8, 1910, by Bramah Joseph Diplock, Engineer, of Fulham in the county of Middlesex, England, for "Improvements in Road Vehicles". Mr. Diplock continued to insist that his machines had feet. It appears to be a further development of his Pedrail. Other patents were filled for more and more complex tracks. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index9.html

Diplock's First Chaintrack, 1911 and his N° 3 Pedrail, 1905. Tracks were in the mood of time but that of Diplock appeared to be marvelously complicated. http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/PeterS/media/bWVkaWFJZDo3MTE4Mjc3OA==/?ref=

Diplock articulated truck from Great Britain Patent 14491 of 1912 issued to Bramah Joseph Diplock for 'Improvements in Vehicles'. In 1912, Mr. Diplock proposed a quite advanced looking vehicle for his time. Meanwhile, the articulation had no rolls nor pitch, only yaw. These will come later. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index9.html

Pedrail truck, 1913 was presented at the Olympia Exhibition. The 20-ton and 30-horse truck put forward the new tracks of the Diplock's patents. https://www.trecut.wellcome.ro/diplock-pedrail

Pedrail truck and trailer (non-driven), 1913. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Pedrail, http://www.unusuallocomotion.com/pages/locomotion/changes-around-the-track-i-off-road-locomotion.html

Diplock single wide track cart, 1915. Mr. Diplock manufactured single wide track vehicles for horse-drawn use. This is a photo of one of these small vehicles in the book 'The British Tanks 1915-19' by David Fletcher; it was a simple cart-type body on a single wide track. It was loaded with 1.5 tons of stone and Mr. Churchill, which saw it, was able to push it by hand in Feb 1915. From : https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index10.html

Landships variants 1915. http://www.bath-at-work.org.uk/the-pedrail-landship/

Pedrail Landship Prototype 1915, with 2 bogies.
A large prototype, Pedrail Landship troop transport by Colonel R.E.B. Crompton, built by Stothert and Pitt of Bath, was developed as an offshoot of the Landship Committee. Probably never finished for military use, but a tram-like superstructure in place of the armored superstructure was fitted. It weighted all the same 32 T. The prototype saws tests at Salisbury Plain, in which it exceeded expectations. However, industrial problems appeared immediately, as Pedrail systems proved to be insufficiently resistant to support heavy vehicles. It was the big "fight" lost by the Pedrail systems in front of the continuous hinged metal tracks of Holt-Caterpillar moved by sprockets, used later on the 1st tank : Little Willie. Diplock had indeed patented the Pedrail wheel but in view of the tests, he then embarked on the path became classic of track Holt type caterpillars. http://www.bath-at-work.org.uk/the-pedrail-landship/
http://www.unusuallocomotion.com/pages/more-documentation/aditif.html

Pedrail Landship, 1915. A tram cab was mounted on the Pedrial Landship. http://www.bath-at-work.org.uk/the-pedrail-landship/

1900 Alvin Orlando Lombard

Lombard Track Assembly : patent US 674737 dated May 21, 1901, Application filed on November 9, 1900 for a "Logging-Engine" by Alvin Orlando Lombard of Waterville, Maine. In 1900 the Alvin Orlando Lombard Traction Company began in the Waterville Iron Works Maine. While Lombard was not the first to devise a track system, he was indeed the first to develop and put into production a tracked vehicle : the Lombard Steam Log Hauler at Waterville, Maine,  beating Holt by a wide margin : 1904 was his first tracklayer which was patented in 1907. When first Lombard was built, he hadn't figured out a steering mechanism yet. The skis were hitched to a team of horses that were used to steer the skis which will later be replaced by wheels. First used short roller chain can be seen. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index5.html

Phoenix Track Assembly, 1901. As it turned out, Lombard sold the rights of his system in 1904 to Phoenix Mill Supply Company, Eau Claire, Wisconsin (over 100 built), by Jenckes and Best. Several of the Phoenix steamers survive.
Here is he "Short Chain" setup with the roller chains running tight to the runners. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index5.html

Lombard  C Log Hauler with long tracks.

Lombard 'Long Chain' setup. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index4.html

Phoenix in Northern Saskatchewan, picture from the McCord Museum. It is almost certainly a Phoenix, although the definition of the picture makes it hard to provide an absolute identification. It does give some idea of the pulling capacity of these machines. The terrain in Northern Saskatchewan where they were operating was relatively flat, but it's still quite a load. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index9.html

Lombard Log Hauler at the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, branch of the Western Development Museum. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index5.html

Lombard with road wheels, Patent US 854364 dated May 21, 1907, application filed November 22, 1905 for a "Log-Hauler" by Alvin O. Lombard of Waterville, Maine.

Lombard "lagbed" tractor, 1914, https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index18.html

Lombard Old Twin 1922, upper left, and New Twin, 1927. As requested by Great Northern Paper Co., the idea was to create a multi-purpose tractor with the maneuverability of the Holt and Best tractors of the period combined with the speed and power of Lombard's big 10 ton halftracks. Known as the A.O.L. machine, it was delivered to Great Northern Paper in 1922. While considered a success, O.A. Harkness, G.N.P.'s Chief Mechanical Officer felt it could be improved upon. Thus the "Old Twin", as it became known, was dismantled and re-built by GNP's Greenville, ME. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index18.html

Lombard Truck. Built in 1925 in Waterville, ME, http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=62933.0

Lombard truck, 1926-1933. The grandson of Edward Lacroix operated a fleet of 30 of these beasts during the 1920's and 30's. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index11.html

Lombard also used rollers on the CS 88, 1926, (Contractor's Special) and model "T", opposed to the roller chain. These were carried in a unique articulated runner. Like the full track tractor, they were not patented. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index18.html

1900 Titus D. Dershimer

'Improvement for Tread Power', 1900, by Titus D. Dershimer, County of Wyoming and State of Pennsylvania, the purpose being to improve the general construction and reduce the friction to the smallest amount possible and to increase the life and capabilities of this class of motive powers. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/a8/f2/d1/874e3fe42468ef/US656178.pdf

1900 Frank Beamond

Frank Beamond tracks, 1900. Upper left is a tracked chariot in accordance with his first patent in 1900. Track had pivoted track segments, lugs and links. The other treads, in accordance of patent of 1907, is designed to be silent in use. A rubber-like material forms a continuous band. http://www.users.waitrose.com/~rogerbeamond/INVENTION.pdf

Motor Lorry equipped with tracks in accordance with 1907 Patent, about 1908-09. http://www.users.waitrose.com/~rogerbeamond/INVENTION.pdf

Frank Beamond Tracked Horse drawn vehicle according to 1907 patent. Frank Beamond's Patent No 908,441 "Transporting Apparatus" was filed Aug 19, 1907 and issued on January 5, 1909. http://www.users.waitrose.com/~rogerbeamond/INVENTION.pdf

1900 Crispino Bonagente

Fiat Bonagente Track. These tracks, first patented in 1900, were invented by an Italian Artillery Major, Crispino Bonagente. They were used by Italian, French and British Armies, https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/173218-ww1-military-motors-1916-set-x-50-cards/?page=217

Fiat 20B, picture from Robert Grauman site at :  http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/rgrauman/media/bWVkaWFJZDo3MTcyMzY1/?ref=1

Fiat 30 Artillery Tractor, 1917, was powered by a 4-cylinder 60 hp 10.6 l. engine. Tracks were laid on the mudguards when not in use. https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/173218-ww1-military-motors-1916-set-x-50-cards/?page=217

Fiat Artillery Tractor with Tracks, 1917. Far right are the Bonagente tracks, https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/173218-ww1-military-motors-1916-set-x-50-cards/?page=216

Fiat Bonagente tracks on a massive gun of Italian Army 'Obice da 305 D.S.' in N.E, Italy, 1918. Picture shows the Fiat ' Bonagente ' tracks fitted to the wheels of the De Stefano carriage, which come together to form a stable raised platform to support the gun's weight when standing. Bonagente tracks look like Boydell wheels. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/03/they-werent-all-diplock-pedrail-some.html, https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/173218-ww1-military-motors-1916-set-x-50-cards/?page=217&tab=comments#comment-2438452, https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/173218-ww1-military-motors-1916-set-x-50-cards/?page=217

1904 Benjamin Leroy Holt, Clarence Leo Best and Caterpillar Co.

Holt Steam Powered wheeled tractor. Holt built his first experimental steam powered tractor in 1890. Holt manufacturing company began in 1883 at Stockton, California. Originally the company manufactured agricultural and forestry machinery : combine harvesters, very powerful steam traction engines. Holt’s tractors were popular because they could harvest large fields for one-sixth the cost of horse-drawn combines and was soon distributed internationally. https://mavensnotebook.com/2016/02/11/delta-narratives-pt-2-stitching-a-river-culture-trade-transportation-and-communication-in-the-delta/

Holt steam traction engine, 1903, were built for the Delta, but machines needed had anything else than wheels for traction in soft soils. He built tractors with very large and 1.8 m wide wheels each side. These tractors were expensive, difficult to transport, difficult to maneuver in the field and could stuck all the same. Holt experimented with multiple wheels until he decided to try a track-laying technique with was known but not employed, except Lombard. https://mavensnotebook.com/2016/02/11/delta-narratives-pt-2-stitching-a-river-culture-trade-transportation-and-communication-in-the-delta/, http://www.techdirections.com/Holt.pdf

Holt tracklaying patent, 1907. Benjamin Holt filled a patent : 'Tractor Engine' in 1907, 3 years after his first tractor was built. He was fitted with a tiller wheel for steering, which was not easy to cross obstacles. http://www.techdirections.com/Holt.pdf

First Holt tractor, 1904, one of Holt’s original track-laying tractors working a field in Northern California. In 1903 Benjamin Holt paid Alvin Orlando Lombard US$60,000 for the right to produce vehicles under Lombard's patent for the Lombard Steam Log Hauler and Holt sold the first model of steam-powered tractor crawlers for US$5,500. The center of innovation was in England since most of the patents were English, and in the same year, Holt traveled to England to learn more about ongoing development. He used his knowledge along with the company’s expertise in design, metallurgy, and testing to develop a practical track layer. During that period, the chief engineer (and managing director) of Richard Hornsby & Sons in Grantham, England, David Roberts, was experimenting with a chain-track. Hornsby's design incorporated a steering clutch that varied the speed of each set of wheels, allowing the operator to turn the tractor by retarding one tread or the other.
 http://www.techdirections.com/Holt.pdf

Holt Steamer No. 77, the second prototype of a crawler-track-type tractor, on a trial run demonstrating its ability to travel across the marshy peat soil of Roberts Island. Then, his 1904 crawler tractor proved a success from the beginning, and Holt soon introduced models under the Caterpillar trademark. http://en.wikipedia.org

Holt 75, 1913. The Holt 75 was first produced from 1913 to 1924. It used two tracks for steering but had a front steering tiller-wheel. With a maximum speed of 24 km/h, it was fitted with a gasoline engine. In addition to US production, 442 Holt 75s were built in Britain by Ruston & Hornsby in Lincoln. Production of the Holt 75 was to continue post war until 1924. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holt_tractor
https://picclick.com/1-48-Scale-Wiseman-Model-Services-Holt-75-Crawler-152366556811.html

First Holt Tracklayer without a Tiller Wheel. On left : Holt 20-30 Muley, 1913. On right, Holt 45, 1914. Holt bought Hornsby patent in 1912 allowing it, with a system of clutches-brakes to withdraw the front wheel and to have two tracks only. Unlike the Holt tractor, which had a steerable tiller wheel in front of the tracks, the new Hornsby crawler was steered by controlling power to each track. The tractor could turn on itself and mobility in soft or uneven terrain was much better. From Caterpillar Chronicle by Eric C Orleman, Motorbooks International, Avril 2000.

Holt Model 45-25 tractor (left, 1916) and Holt Model 45 (right, 1917) . Steering was now accomplished by difference of speed of tracks. By 1915, Holt Company employed 1.000 workers in its Stockton plant. Nearly 2.000 Caterpillar crawlers had been sold in more than 20 countries before WWI. WWI allowed Holt to sell about 5.000 tractors to Allies. In England, Little Willie, 1915, Mark 1 to 5 tanks were built with the Holt hinged track system. In the same time in France, Schneider, St Chamond and Renault FT 17 tanks, and also AV7 proto in Germany used Holt Tracks like. His company became enormously profitable by making tracked vehicles for farming, road construction, and military use. https://classicdozers.wordpress.com/best-holt/

Holt 120 tractor, 1917. It is thought that this is the sole surviving 120 Hp Holt. Apparently, the Heidrick Museum crawler went to France at the end of WWI, but came back to the USA. These big tractors were used by the Austrians as well as the Allies. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index11.html

Clarence Leo Best Autotractor patent, N° 1,158,114 filled in 1912. Clarence Leo Best created his company in 1910 and introduced a crawler tractor in 1913 that was virtually a carbon copy of Holt's design. C. L. Best Tractor Company was named in 1920. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._L._Best

C L Best Autotractor working model, 1913, probably first prototype.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._L._Best

Best C.L.B. 'Humpack' 30 H.P. Tracklayer 'Model 30' tractor. High drive sprocket design was unique. It was primarily designed for orchard and vineyard cultivating work. It stays at Heidrick Museum, Woodland, CA. and is the only surviving of the 45 tractors of this type built between 1914 and 1915. http://www.chriscomachinery.com/BestSeries.htm and from 'Classic Caterpillar Crawlers' by Keith Haddock, Motorbook, 2001.

C L Best on a tracklayer. Only known image of C. L. Best operating a track-type tractor. Best tractors had a conventional wheel at the front, which was used to steer, and crawling-type wheels on the back, but otherwise looked very similar to a traction engine. During 1914, both Best and Holt introduced models without the front "tiller" wheel. https://www.caterpillar.com/en/company/visitors-center/exhibits/exhibits-archive/c-l-best.html#

Best 60, 1919, from Heidrick Museum, Woodland, CA. Holt and Best were at law, very expensive. Crisis profiled, and in the mid-1920s, Holt encountered financial trouble. Rather commercial war, Best's financial backers approached Holt executives to discuss a merger. On April 15, 1925, C. L. Best Tractor Company and Holt Manufacturing Company merged to form Caterpillar Tractor Company which is now Caterpillar Inc.
Best remained chairman of the board of Caterpillar until his death in 1951.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._L._Best
See the book : "The Caterpillar's Roots" by Jack Alexander
https://www.caterpillar.com/en/company/visitors-center/exhibits/exhibits-archive/c-l-best.html, http://www.chriscomachinery.com/BestSeries.htm

1905 David Roberts, Hornsby Tractor Co.

Hornsby Tractor, 1905. David Roberts filled patent in 1905 : ‘Improvements for Connected Road Locomotives and Vehicles' : GB190523736  for a tractor equipped with chain tracks which was  improved in 1909. Between these dates, a Hornsby tractor with two tracks steered by different speeds between them, was built in 1905 and tested. Demonstrations went further from 1908 to 1910 at Adelshot. Interesting evolution of the vehicle could be seen.  However, the Royal Artillery disagreed. The patent was sold to Holt Manufacturing Company.
In total, 5 Hornsby caterpillar machines were made, 3 oil powered engines for gun haulage, one small Schneider auto, and a steam crawler. One oil crawler survives in operational condition at The Tank Museum, Bovington. The first commercial film was made. Four vehicles were sold to the War Office to tow artillery. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TGgLrS9Sfs, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Roberts_(engineer), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hornsby_%26_Sons

Hornsby N° 1 Caterpillar in 1905. It was the first practical chain-track to be powered, despite appearances, by an oil engine. From 'Devil's Chariots', John Glanfield, 2001. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index10.html

Hornsby Little Caterpillar, 1909, of Bovington Museum, still theoretically in full working order although it did not run for about twenty years. Roberts's chain-track played no direct part in the development of the tank, although Lt-Col. R.E.B. Crompton, who later had an important role in its creation, had been present at some of the early trials and was influenced to some extent by the Hornsby. Nevertheless, the first British Tanks had no sprung suspension, and the track plates were an improved version of those of American vehicles, Holt or Bullock tractors. https://sites.google.com/site/hornsbysteamcrawler/home/hornsby-chain-tractors
On 11 September 1918, when employing about 3,000 people, Richard Hornsby and Sons of Grantham was bought out by Ruston & Proctor of Lincoln.
http://tank100.com/towards-the-tank/hornsby-tracklayer/

Hornsby Tractor of War Office, 1909. The engine starts on petrol, drawn from the little tank above the engine and then switches to paraffin carried in the three large drums at the back. http://photobucket.com/gallery/http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PeterS/media/Fletcherpg13Hornsby.jpg.html, http://theoldmotor.com/?p=67092#comment-9383

Rochet-Schneider car with light version of the tracks, 40 hp, 4 tons, 15 mph, in 1907. Photo shows David Roberts, inventor, standing on left. Rochet-Schneider car appears on the video mentioned above. https://sites.google.com/site/hornsbysteamcrawler/home/hornsby-chain-tractors

It was probably the first wheel and track convertible vehicle, bought and listed by US Government.  David Fletcher states that it is a Mercedes car with a 75hp, six-cylinder engine. The chain tracks were fitted in 1908 to David Robert’s design but the car itself was probably older. It seems to have employed friction drive from the large center wheel and steering was by compressed air actuating brakes on the differential shafts. It was tested on the beach at Skegness and was clocked at 40 km/h. One thinks it was later sent out to Egypt, it was seen with an enlarged radiator and full length canopy, but after that it vanishes. https://landships.activeboard.com/t60748796/seeking-information-about-this-ruston-hornsby-vehicle-circa-/

Hornsby Steam Tractor sent in Yukon in Dawson City in 1910. This was the only Hornsby with a steam engine, because, in Yukon, coal and wood were abundant. https://bangshift.com/general-news/motorized-freak-of-the-week-the-hornsby-steam-crawler-tractor/, https://sites.google.com/site/friendsofthehornsbymammoth/

Horsby tractor tracks in Vancouver Island, from 1927 to 1983, in Apple Bay on Holberg Inlet. The only ‘Horsby Chain Tractor’ steam powered with wood and coal (25 tons, 7.5 mph) was shipped by the Northern Light, Power & Coal Company to Canada, Yukon at Dawson City in 1910. Called Mammoth, it hauled coal from Coal Creek, 20 km to Dawson, in two trailers. As Northern Light went bankruptcy, the Hornsby Crawler was moved in 1927 on a barge from Dawson to New Westminster, British Columbia, for many years. Then, it moved in Vancouver Island at Port Alice to be acquired by Port Alice Pulp Mill to be used hauling pulp along Holberg Inlet not far from Quatsino from 1928. He found that it burned more wood than it hauled. In the 50’s, abandoned, the boiler was ripped out to heat a workers bunkhouse, which burned down. In 1976, the area near Apple Bay on Holberg Inlet containing the Hornsby Steam Crawler was preserved as a heritage site. It sat there from about 1930 for a lot of years, five or six decades.
In 1983, the tractor was moved to the barge ramp at Stephens Bay near Coal Harbor, using local volunteer labor, machinery and equipment. This was the first step for putting it on public display. Then, in 1987, the steam crawler was transported by volunteers to the display site at Seven Hills Golf Course, where it will remain a monument to Canadian heritage. It sat here about 20 years, in a shelter.

It was in display also from 1987 to 2005 in different points. In 2005, the HCEA, Historical Construction Equipment Association, put it on display at Wetaskiwin, Alberta.  https://www.northislandgazette.com/life/hornsby-crawler-seeks-new-home/
At the end of the show, it was removed, and housed in Surrey, near Vancouver.
The Hornsby returned to its original place in 2013-14 near Coal Harbour, where it worked first in B.C. and it must be displayed here at Heritage Hall. The Regional District of Mount Waddington is the owner of the Hornsby Steam Chain Tractor. Coal Harbor Community Club, supported by North Island Heritage Society and the Regional District of Mount Waddington propose the permanent display of the Hornsby Steam Crawler in Coal Harbor within a purpose built structure. In July 2018, the shelter was not still built.
http://www.rdmw.bc.ca/media/Hornsby%20Crawler%20SOS%20FINAL.pdf

http://www.rdmw.bc.ca/media/hornsbyappealbrochure.pdf
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index3.html
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index2.html
The British Tanks 1915-19 by David Fletcher is a book which talks of this crawler.
 http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/rgrauman/media/bWVkaWFJZDozNzE3NzE5Mw==/?ref=1

Horsby tractor trailer. Hornsby tractor was used with wagons in Canada. Graumann says : " In the book : 'The Story of the Wellington Foundry, Lincoln'  I found that Fosters built 3 wagons for the Northern Light, Power & Coal Company for use with the Hornsby steam crawler. These wagons had a tare weight of 5 tons. There were three of these wagons supplied with the Hornsby. The remains of at least one exist somewhere on Vancouver Island near Port McNeil”, (Apple Bay).
The book also states : "Concurrently with the introduction of the traction engine, Fosters introduced the spring-mounted traction engine wagons. These were of exceptionally sturdy construction, with well-seasoned oak frames and redwood sides, mounted on iron wheels with screw-down brakes operating on the hind wheels."
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index4.html

Horsnby Tractor, probably in 2001 in its shelter at Seven Hills Golf Course, http://www.rdmw.bc.ca/regional-services/heritage/

Hornsby arrives at Mount Waddington in better condition, 2014. https://www.bclocalnews.com/news/historic-hornsby-crawler-housing-at-hand/, https://www.northislandgazette.com/news/mcneill-declines-hornsby-for-now/, https://www.northislandgazette.com/news/mammoth-returns-home/

1907 James B. Hill

James B. Hill's Traction-Apron to fit to his 'Gagger' Ditching Machine. US patent 866647 filled for a 'Traction-Apron' issued to James B. Hill, of Findlay, Ohio, Patented September 24, 1907. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index10.html

James B. Hill's prototype of the 'Traction-Apron'. It was a simple device, made of structural shapes, stamped parts, a few castings, and some wood. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index10.html

1910 Wolseley Motor Sleigh

Wolseley motor sleigh, 1910. Captain Scott, in the equipment which he had devised for his forthcoming visit of exploration, included three a motor-sleds, which was recently completed by the Wolseley Tool and Motor-Car Company, Limited, at their works of Adderley Park, Birmingham. This sleigh-tractor had undergone trials on the Norwegian ice-fields, with most satisfactory results. No steering, no brakes (not needed, due to big reduction worm & wheel final drive), no reverse! Worm could be disengaged, so at least it could be pulled back from the abyss. But the motor-sleighs broke down and were abandoned.
Trip towards South Pole began on November 1, 1911. The team reached the pole on January 17, 1912, noting that Amundsen had preceded them by five weeks. They died of exhaustion, hunger and cold on return on Marsh 2012.
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index10.html
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index17.html

1912 Lancelot Eldin de Mole

Tracked vehicle of  L.  E. De Mole. In 1912, the Australian designer Lancelot E. de Mole proposed to the British military department to build an armored tracked vehicle. He described his invention as "a chain machine that can be easily controlled and able to withstand heavy loads on rough terrain and ditches". According to the project, the car had to have an elastic suspension with vertical cylindrical springs, special pins to overcome obstacles, rotated due to the bending of the tracks in the horizontal plane. The benefits of the De Mole project included a crawler bypass, elevated above the support surface in the front and rear sections. Part of the drawings and explanations of the 1913 Military Ministry were returned with a refusal and indicating that the experiments with tracked vehicles had already been completed.
The "construction" of the machine was limited to a model. Steering was made by pivoting the front axle.
It was after the war that the commission charged with examining the question of the "authorship" of the tank, noted that of all British pre-war projects (Australia belonging to the British Commonwealth) and  said it was the most realistic and the most promising. De Mole had not indicated the engine to be installed on his car, nor the weapons that could be installed on it, supposing that the appropriate specialists will make this choice. He received a refund of £ 965. The model of de Mole's machine is preserved in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. https://coollib.com/b/361063/readhttps://coollib.com/b/361063/read, https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:EB1922_-_Volume_32.djvu/704, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancelot_de_Mole

Tracked vehicle model of Lancelot Eldin De Mole at Australian War Memorial. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RELAWM01900/

1913 Adolphe Kegresse

Kegresse tracks on chassis Lessner - Mercedes, 1912, first proto. The belt was then made of woven camel hairs. In fact, it is the first car with flexible caterpillar carrier - leather bandage wrapping on wooden pulleys. Patent of Adolf Kégresse is filled in 1913.

Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost with Kégresse tracks, 1916. The first patent of Adolphe Kégresse N° GB 191305015 was filled on 1914-02-26 for flexible bands of various combinations of rubber, canvas, leather,  wire rope and metal pieces. He built track assemblies which were fitted to the Tsars cars from 1910. This engineer became the technical manager of the garage of the Tsar. Thereafter, he filled many other patents to enhance his system.
On the picture is a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost of 1914 converted in half-track in 1916 for Tsar Nicolas II of Russia, then used by Lenin, and staying now in the of Gorki Leninskie Museum near Moscow.

Citroën Kegresse P17 of White Cruise, 1929. Here is one of Bedaux's 1929 Citroën P17, half-tracks, in the Reynolds Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada. They were used in the White Cruise. 1442 units were in service in the French Army in 1939. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index14.html

Ciroën-Kegresse P17, 1929, which participated to the Croisière Jaune, 1931-32.  By 1921, Adolphe Kégresse had made his way back to France. Before he left Russia, he had received a patent from Great Britain in 1917 for what was essentially the final design for his rubber track. Events delayed the application, and he received an identical US patent in 1924, having filed for it in 1921.
He became manager of off-road Citroën vehicles department and semi-tracked vehicles Kegresse-Hinstin, GB, which will be built until 1940.
Given its performance, André Citroën was embarking on several large-scale promotional projects with international repercussions :
the Trans-Saharan Expedition in 1922 which was a success and the formation of the 'Compagnie Générale Transsaharienne Citroën' (Citracit) for the purpose of transport and tourism across the Sahara, which was however a financial failure to which André Citroën quickly ended.
-the Black Cruise in 1925;
-the Yellow Cruise in 1931, co-financed by National Geographic;
-the loan of three C6 vehicles in 1933 to Admiral Richard Byrd for his Antarctic expedition;
-the White Cruise in 1934 in Canada which was a failure.
Citroën vehicles equipped with "Kegreisz" were manufactured until 1937, then by Unic and Somua. During this period, the system was improved while retaining the original principle: the modifications concerned the drive of the track and the reinforcement thereof by a combination of metal plates and rubber blocks. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index13.html
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphe_K%C3%A9gresse, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citroen-K%C3%A9gresse_P17

1914 John Appleby, FB Dehn

Bullock Grip Tractor of Chicago’s Bullock Tractor Co. in 1914. John Appleby and also FB Dehn of the Bullock Tractor Company took patents. During the development of the tank, a Bullock Creeping Grip chassis was used by the British in 1915. The N° 1 Lincoln machine had lengthened Creeping Grip tracks and suspension, which served to design the first Little Willie tank. Then two creeping tractors were attached to make an articulated vehicle but tests were not good. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205316335, http://www.rockislandplowco.com/index_files/OtherQCtractors.htm

1914, Atlas Metalindustri Gesellschaft

Four tracks articulated vehicle of Atlas Metalindustri Gesellschaft, 1914. Draft design of a military tracked vehicle, presented by the Berlin company Atlas Metalindustri Gesellschaft in 1914. The tracks system for crossing obstacles was rather new and is used now for tracked robots. https://coollib.com/b/361063/read

1914 William Strait

William Strait Traction Machine, of Killen Strait Atlas tractor, patent N° 1,254,446, July 7, 1914, of Appleton, Wisconsin. The Killen-Strait tractor's three-way chassis was one of the foundations for the first tracked armored vehicle mode. https://coollib.com/b/361063/read

Killen-Strait tractor, 1914, was built at Appleton, Wisconsin in 1914 by William Strait. Demonstration of the Killen-Strait three-way tractor impressed Lloyd George and Winston Churchill on June 30, 1915. Nevertheless, off-road capabilities were not sufficient. The body of the Delano-Belleville armored car was fitted just after but the project was abandoned. https://www.tanks.net/tank-history/first-tracked-armored-vehicle.html, https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fi%C8%99ier:Killen-Strait.jpg

1914 Phoenix Centipede

US Patent 1106595 issued to Charles L. Tolles, Centipede, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, for a Traction-Machine on August 11, 1914. https://patents.google.com/patent/US1106595?oq=1106595

Phoenix Centipede, 1914, for agricultural and construction use. The tracks were spring suspended and could oscillate independently of each other. Phoenix manufactured under license the Lombard Log Hauler since 1903. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index10.html, http://www.chippepedia.org/Phoenix+Log+Hauler

Phoenix Steam Centipede Locomotive for lumbermen and loggers. http://forums.justoldtrucks.com/Topic31778.aspx

Allis Chalmers Centipede Tractor Truck, 1915, built under license of the Phoenix Manufacturing Company in Eau Claire. Patents of C. L. Tolles of Phoenix, 1914, were enhanced by Charles E. Search of Allis Chalmers in Milwaukee. Ten of these vehicles were brought by Russia. http://forums.justoldtrucks.com/Topic31778.aspx, https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index11.html

1914 H. W. Leavitt

H. W. Leavitt patent, 1914. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/37/20/f8/1d74b2f246bcb6/US1112460.pdf

1915 A C Nestfield

A. C. Nestfield demonstrating his 'angularized' caterpillar tracks for the Royal Commission, Lincoln's Inn, 1915. http://www.users.waitrose.com/~rogerbeamond/INVENTION.pdf

1915 Foster-Daimler

Foster-Daimler tractor, 1915, trench-crossing men with 2.43 m diameter driving wheels and fitted with bridging apparatus was rejected as unsuitable. http://www.users.waitrose.com/~rogerbeamond/INVENTION.pdf

1915 Schneider

Schneider tests of the chassis of the future Schneider tank, about 1915. https://coollib.com/b/361063/read

Schneider CD2 tractor, 1917. The Schneider CD all-terrain tractor was designed on the mechanical basis of the Schneider CA1 tank.
It could carry 4 crewmen and had a symbolic armor in the front. It was mainly used to pull heavy guns from 155 to the firing point on rough and muddy ground.
He thus commuted between the access roads and the front line and took over the Latil TAR 4x4 tractors.
The order of 500 copies was launched in October 1916 and the first models came into service in August 1917. When the Armistice was signed in November 1918, only 110 copies were available. It was powered by a Schneider 4 cylinder engine, 9.7 l, developing 65 hp at 1000 rpm. It was coupled to a mechanical 3-speed gearbox.
At the rear, a winch was connected to the drive shaft.
The Schneider weighed 1 ton and could pull a load of 3 tons. Its maximum speed was 8.2 km/h. The Schneider CD tractors continued their military career during the Second World War and then in civil engineering for their skills in bad ground.
This Schneider CD tractor model found a second life in the Barthez public works company until the 1950s: recently restored by a collector, it is the last copy still existing. Pictures and text :
 http://www.guide-automobiles-anciennes.com/VOITURE/tracteur-schneider-cd2-3387.htm

1916 Holman Harry Linn

First Linn tractor, 1916. H. H. Linn, of Morris, New-York, patented ‘Flexible Traction’ tracks which gave the Linn tractor a distinct advantage over a conventional motor truck enabling it to traverse rock-strewn, muddy or hilly terrain previously inaccessible by a motor vehicle. With its rather low bed for loads, it did not need trailers, which help to move off-road. Power was transmitted to the ground via the rear crawler tracks which included a spring-loaded steel triangle, pivoted at its apex, which allowed the track bed to flex and conform to the contour of whatever surface the Linn might encounter. http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/l/linn_mfg/linn_mfg.htmhttp://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/l/linn_mfg/linn_mfg.htm

Holman Harry Linn, of Morris, New-York, patented N° 185786D of 12.01.1918, a "Flexible Traction" units. H. H. Linn worked with Lombard at the beginning and was inspired by him. https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/mosaics?CC=CA&NR=185786A&KC=A&FT=D&ND=&date=19180730&DB=&locale=#

Linn T3 Trailer, 1935 and C5 1940. The C5 had lifting tracks. http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/l/linn_mfg/linn_mfg2.htm

The Linn tractor is a heavy duty civilian half-track invented by Holman Harry Linn. Approximately 2500 units were built in Morris, New York, USA from 1916 to 1952. Picture represents the last Linn built. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index5.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linn_tractor, http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/l/linn_mfg/linn_mfg.htm, http://www.unusuallocomotion.com/pages/museums/pictures-of-the-author-v.html#page2, http://ww1916 w.coachbuilt.com/bui/l/linn_mfg/linn_mfg2.htm

Bremer Marien-Wagen

Bremer Marien-Wagen I, 1916. Projections of an experienced armored vehicle on the Bremer-Wagen four-track chassis (Marien-Wagen I). The car was presented on tests without armament, with a prototype of an armored hull. https://coollib.com/b/361063/read

The four-track Marien-Wagen I of the Bremer system with an experienced box-shaped armored hull, end of 1916. On March 11, 1917, the vehicle was shown to representatives of the High Command on a sandy field near Mainz and did not impress them. https://coollib.com/b/361063/read

Bremer Marien-Wagen II, 1917. The experimental four-track chassis of the engineer X. G. Bremer (Bremer-Wagen), was presented in 1916. In the autumn of 1917 the company received an order for the release of 170 half-track machines Marien-Wagen in transport configuration. The army wanted to obtain a technique with a closed cockpit. This allowed to transport people and cargo, and to tow artillery. Until the end of the war, was built and delivered to the customer only 44 chassis in the configuration of the truck.

1916 R. Mc Fee

The design of the all-terrain vehicle R. Mc Fee, proposed in 1916, was patented in 1919.
https://coollib.com/b/361063/read

Another R. McFee project of 1916 (British patent published in 1919). Pay attention to a separate rotary track and an auxiliary track to overcome obstacles.
https://coollib.com/b/361063/read

1918 A7V Carrier

A7V carrier, 1918. A7V Uberlandwagen carrier in Flandres, April 1918. Of the 100 A7V chassis, only 22 were used to build serial tanks. The tractor-transporter had a crew of 3 people, weighed 18 tons, with a full load, 28 tons, was almost similar to the A7V tank, the cruising range was 48 km. The assembly of tractor transporters was carried out by the Daimler plant in Marienfeld, and the assemblies were supplied by the Büssing plant in Braunschweig. Thus, about 40 A7V chassis were used for conveyor tractors. https://coollib.com/b/361063/read

ATV7 Carrier drawing of patent, 1918 : the design of the universal tracked chassis, patented by Deutsche Automobile-Construction Gesellschaft in 1919 (the patent application was filed as early as 1918). https://coollib.com/b/361063/read

1920 Yuba Tractor

Yuba Model 12-20 Tractor, 1920, from Marysville, CA. It used a set of marine clutches which allowed for counter rotation, forward and reverse. They were most known for the fact that they used large ball bearings that ran between a set of channels of the track frame. This system allowed the absence of rollers and idlers, just a drive sprocket.
There are at least two Yuba Ball Tread tractors acting as "decoration" in various places in the mines town of Dawson City in the Yukon Territory. One is a tiller wheel model. There are many Holts and Cletrac, of course. The explanation may be that Yuba was a supplier of mining equipment, and the Yuba Ball Treads came in as part of a larger order of mining equipment.
https://classicdozers.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/yuba-model-12-20-tractor-1920-heidrick-ag-musuem-woodland-ca-2104-072.jpg    http://www.aghistory.org/html/collection.html

1920 A. R. Blewett

First 'Blewet tractor Belt', 1920. An earlier patent, US 1343958, issued June 22, 1920, was issued to Blewett for a "Tractor-Belt" which describes a track chain for a crawler. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index4.html

1920, An interesting picture of a Blewet Tractor made in Tacoma WA. Notice the drive sprocket in the middle of the track frame : there were a couple companies that did this at that time. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index4.html

Blewett tractor : another US patent 1541026, for a "Tractor Machine" issued to A. R. Blewett of Tacoma, Washington on June 9, 1925. The drive sprocket is in the middle of the track.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=S81...age&q=&f=false, An earlier patent (US 1343958, issued June 22, 1920) was issued to Blewett for a "Tractor-Belt" which describes a track chain for a crawler.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=pkd...age&q=&f=false
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index4.html,

1922 Isaac H. Athey

Athey track, US Patent 1435788, issued to Isaac H. Athey of Chicago, Illinois for a Traction Mechanism on November 14, 1922. Many similar patents of tracks were filled, more or less complicated. These tracks were widely used on trailer particularly in logging industries and known as Athey Wagons, built by Athey Truss Wheel Company. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index4.html, https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index9.html

Athey Tracked Trailer of Athey Truss Wheel Co. of Chicago, Illinois. Athey manufactured a crawler assembly that was widely used for various crawler wagons from the 1930s forward.
http://www.ritchiewiki.com/wiki/index.php/Athey_Truss_Wheel_Company#ixzz5V4MKPNch
https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/contents/aip155.htm

1924 Cuban Tractor

Cuban tractor with Athey wagons, October, 1924, in the 'Cuba Commercial and Financial Magazine'. The wagons appear to be Athey wagons, made by the Athey Tractor Co., of Chicago. Isaac Athey secured patents for many variations of his truss tracks, and his wagons were widely used. It appears that it was a wheeled tractor with a track conversion. The track assembly looks rather light for such a large tractor. It almost looks like the truss track from an Athey wagon with some grousers welded-on. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index11.html

1925 Francis Crossley and William Crossley

Crossley Tracked Car. British subsidiary of the Citroën Kégresse brand converted at least one car Crossley with Kégresse tracks, about 1925. Crossley's founders were the two Crossley brothers, Francis William Crossley 1839-1897, and his younger brother William (later Sir William Crossley 1910 ) 1844-1911. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index16.html

1927 Orolo tracks, Roadless Traction

Wheel-barrow with Orolo tracks, 1927. Orolo tracks were made by Roadless Traction to about 200 units.
Roadless "Orolo" Tracks from the book : "Roadless - The Story of Roadless Traction from Tracks to Tractors" by Stuart Gibbard says : "The Orolo units were available in several different sizes, and could be used in place of the wheel in a variety of applications, including bullock and mule wagons scaled-down versions tested on Philip Johnson‘s garden wheelbarrow. So successful was this unit, that Roadless decided to put the tracked wheelbarrow into production. A couple of hundred were made towards the end of 1927. At the other end of the scale were the D8 Orolo track units, introduced in 1929 and capable of carrying 12 tons per pair. The company eventually built units during the Second World War which would carry 20 tons on each track-bogie and they equipped, among others, a searchlight. The Orolo track units remained in production until well into the 1960s." https://www.practicalmachinist., http://tractors.wikia.com/wiki/Roadless_Wheelbarrow

Orolo track, 1927. The WW2 vintage searchlights were fitted with four short tracked units instead of wheels. Also, Ground Support Equipment Airport, with these tracks, can be seen at Overloon Museum, The Netherlands. Picture J M M at Overloon Museum, The Netherlands, March 2009.

Orolo tracks on Ground Support Equipment Airport during WWII. Pict J M M at Overloon Museum, The Netherlands, Marsh 2009

Roadless G2 Orolo tracks in 1930 with rubber jointed tracks. httpwww.unusuallocomotion.compagesmore-documentation23-four-tracks-rigid-vehicles-light.html, http://tractors.wikia.com/wiki/Roadless_Wheelbarrow

1928 Ford with tracks

Ford Model A, 1928, with tracks at Cumberland Township Heritage Village Museum at Ottawa, Ontario. This model on display was fitted with tracks and skis for traveling on snow. It is not sure if this was a Ford kit or a kit made by someone else to adapt to various types of cars or something made as a one of by the Empire Garage in Huntingdon Quebec. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index11.html

Ford Model T on display in the Reynolds Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, with a kit : "Snow Flyer Conversion Kit, circa 1929" of the Manufacturer : Snow Flyer Corporation, New Holstein, Wisconsin. Several manufacturers made kits that turned ordinary cars into vehicles better equipped for winter travel.
 https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index11.html

1929 Richard Garrett & Sons

Richard Garrett & Sons of Leiston was founded in 1778 and survived until around 1979. Garrett diesel tractors were offered with Roadless tracks in the late 20’s. These tracks used rubber joints, but when the rubber began to fail in the high temperatures of Fiji, steel-jointed tracks were offered as a replacement. This one was shipped to Gambia in 1932. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index15.html

Garrett Multi-Speeder, built to 4 units, 1933. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index15.html

Garrett peat harvester ditcher, after 1949. Around 1934, tractors were developed specially for the peat harvesting industry in Ireland. Tractors, half-tracks and massive peat harvesters, continued to be built in reasonable quantities through until 1960. Picture comes from "Garrett Diesel Tractors" by R. A. Whitehead. https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/ot-crawler-tractors-196276/index15.html