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13 tons ready for the road, could haul 25 tons for 40 miles at 3 mph average speed including gradients of 1 in 18, and should be capable of 8 mph with half load and be able to climb 1 in 6 slopes towing that half load. Other conditions included winch capability of 15 tons, and ability to cross 2 feet of water. The results of the trial were reported in The
Automotor Journal. When the trials were held only one vehicle attended, the Hornsby Heavy Oil Tractor. Not only did it win the £1000 prize for meeting the criteria laid down, but it received a bonus of £180 for completing 58 miles towing its 25-ton load before requiring fuel or water.
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633:, 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. In the event, the first British tanks had no sprung suspension, and the track plates were an improved version of those of another American vehicle, the Bullock tractor. Central to British tank development was William Foster & Co., agricultural machinery manufacturers, based at Lincoln, only about 25 miles from Hornsby's.
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Mechanical
Transport Committee was amongst those that considered the system to have great potential. A newspaper suggested that this was "the germ of a land fighting unit when men will fight behind iron walls". Roberts was awarded a £1000 prize from the War Office for his machine's performance in travelling 40 mi (64 km) without stopping.
677:. This left them little room for marketing or manufacturing other products – often needing years of development. The management realised their future was in doubt, so looked for a suitable company to combine with: the management chose Ruston. On 11 September 1918, employing about 3,000 people at the time, the company was bought out by
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and its ammunition over rough ground. It was here that Major W. E. Donohue of the
Mechanical Transport Committee suggested to Roberts that a single tractor unit might be fitted with a gun and bulletproof shields, thus creating some sort of self-propelled gun. Roberts did not pursue the idea, and
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Unlike the earlier single cylinder tractor made by
Hornsby, this was a twin cylinder, with the cylinders at an angle to each other in a vertical plane and sharing a common crankshaft. The engine ran at 350 rpm and had a governor which operated by cutting the fuel supply in a hit and miss
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type, with rear wheels 7 foot diameter, the front wheels 42 inches diameter. The cylinders were each 13 inch diameter and 18 inch stroke. Starting was by compressed air after pre-heating the vaporisers with bunsen torches. Sliding spur gears offered forward speeds of 1.5, 3, 5 and
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After
Hornsby's death in 1864, the firm was owned by his son, also Richard. Hornsby Jr died at the age of 50, quite suddenly, in 1877. The company became a public company, being valued at £235,000. Employing about 1,400 workers, it was managed by Hornsby Sr's two other sons – James and William.
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was present. The tractor and trailer with dummy gun in place are considered to have performed impressively, crossing various types of obstacles and ground, and the demonstration became national news. A horse team that became bogged down was easily hauled out of the mud by
Roberts's machine. The
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Following military traction engine trials in 1902, the military authorities were looking for a tractor that could do what the steam tractor achieved without its demands on fuel and water. In 1903 the military held a competition with £1000 first prize for a tractor that must weigh under
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permission to buy a Holt
Tractor for evaluation, and Von Donop's opinion was the same. Roberts had spent five years on the project, barely covering his development costs with the fees received from the Army, and had secured no orders, either military or civilian. Benjamin Holt of the
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Very few of the early machines built by
Richard Hornsby & Co. survive, but examples of the major types are still to be found. A working example of a Hornsby Oil tractor can be seen at some vintage vehicle shows in the UK, and another example is under restoration in Australia.
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being made in
Grantham (from 8 July 1892). Other engineering companies had been offered the option of manufacturing the engine, but they saw it as a threat to their business, and so declined the offer. Only Hornsbys saw its possibilities. The first one was sold to the
577:. After contests between the No. 3 machine and horse teams, artillery officers gave a less favourable opinion of the tractor, observing that it was underpowered. An attempt was made to remedy the problem by converting it to run on petrol, a move that increased the
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Trials featuring the
Hornsby Tractor and the Rochet-Schneider were the subject of a film that was used in an attempt to promote sales and also shown in cinemas. There was also a screening in the presence of senior British officers and foreign military attachés.
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to make the engine run on compression alone. This Hornsby-Akroyd oil engine design was hugely successful: during the period from 1891 through 1905, a total of 32,417 engines were produced. They would provide electricity for lighting the
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The Mechanical Transport Committee remained convinced of the tractor's possibilities, provided it was used in careful conjunction with horse teams. However, the Royal Artillery disagreed. The Director of Artillery, Brigadier General
316:, Lincolnshire, in 1815 with Richard Seaman, after joining Seaman's business in 1810. The company became Richard Hornsby & Sons in 1828, when Hornsby bought out his partner's ownership, when Seaman retired.
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broke out, Britain had to purchase caterpillar tractors from Holt to tow the Army's heavy guns, and the designers of the tank had to start from scratch, basing their ideas on imported American machines.
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was made in 1896 with a 20 hp engine. In 1897, it was bought by Mr. Locke-King, and this is the first recorded sale of a tractor in Britain. Also in that year, the tractor won a Silver Medal of the
349:: their portable steam engine was one of their most important products and the market leader. A farm was obtained nearby, where all their new products were tested before being produced.
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546:. Roberts explained that he had plans for a trailer, also fitted with a chain track, on which a gun could be mounted. Roberts completed his tracked trailer and demonstrated it to the
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On 30 September 1940 seven factory staff were killed in a daylight attack, with 4 high explosive bombs. It was the fifth raid of the war on the town.
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in America registered "Caterpillar" as a trademark on August 2, 1910. Hornsby sold his patents to Holt for £4,000 in 1911. Holt later merged with
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Richard Hornsby & Sons grew into a major manufacturer of agricultural machinery at their Spittle Gate Works. The firm went on to produce
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in November of the same year. Holt Company photographer Charles Clements was reported to have observed that the tractor crawled like a
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Several examples of Hornsby Ackroyd oil engines survive in preservation. The Track assembly of the Hornsby Steam Tractor survives.
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Hornsbys are credited with producing and selling the first oil-engined tractor (similar to modern-day tractors) in Britain. The
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method, though the driver could override the governor for "spurts". The framing was of conventional steam
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Hornsby's chain-track played no direct part in the development of the tank, although Lt-Col.
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In 1892, T.H. Barton at Hornsbys enhanced the engine by replacing the vaporiser with a new
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Peter Robinson "Lincolns Excavators - The Ruston years 1875-1930," Published by Roundoak,
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Engine and machinery manufacturer in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England from 1828 until 1918
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and tractors are in preservation, with "The Traction Engine Register 2008" listing 12
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Hornsby Tractor acquired 1909 by the British Army (preserved in running order at
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Sanitary Authority (later to be re-bought by Hornsby and displayed in their office).
308:(1790–1864), an agricultural engineer. The company was founded when Hornsby opened a
780:"A Triumph for Heavy Oil", The Automotor Journal, 9 January 1904, pp36-37
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In July 1907, an improved chain track was demonstrated at the British Army's HQ at
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and Holt seized on the metaphor. "Caterpillar it is. That's the name for it!"
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Scale model of Hornsby Chain Tractor at 2005 Harrogate Model Engineering Show
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519:. It had been developed by Hornsby's chief engineer and managing director,
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from 1828 until 1918. The company was a pioneer in the manufacture of the
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There was a further demonstration at Aldershot in 1908, at which King
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The Traction Engine Register 2008, published by the SCHVPT, page 50,
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Dedication to the only commercially-sold Hornsby caterpillar crawler
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in February, 1906, at which the machine outperformed a conventional
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in the UK. One example – no. 1851 built in August 1871 – is in the
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815:"Benjamin Holt (1849–1920): The Father of the Caterpillar tractor"
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tractor. A lightweight version of the tracks was also fitted to a
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A third machine was tested at Aldershot in May 1910, and towed a
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By 1911, the prospects for Hornsby's machine were fading. The
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used to drive threshing machines, and other equipment such as
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store at Wroughton, with another (example no. 7297) at the
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Agricultural machinery manufacturers of the United Kingdom
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418:(chosen after Hornsby won the oil engine prize at the
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Defunct manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom
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Scale model Hornsby Tractor at Stapleford Steam 2008
62:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
385:in the 1890s led to the world's first commercial
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440:Hornsby-Akroyd Patent Safety Oil Traction Engine
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1097:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1918
1087:Locomotive manufacturers of the United Kingdom
669:Throughout the First World War, Hornsbys were
570:later expressed regret at not having done so.
245:Hornsby chain tractor. Working scale model at
959:website on crawler's preservation with photos
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256:was an engine and machinery manufacturer in
1107:Tractor manufacturers of the United Kingdom
1092:Manufacturing companies established in 1828
673:to producing munitions and engines for the
280:system for vehicles, selling the patent to
858:"Anniversary of the Caterpillar Trademark"
834:Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare
998:Hornsby Builders Catalogue, Lincoln 1958.
742:History of the internal combustion engine
430:'s first trans-Atlantic radio broadcast.
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122:Learn how and when to remove this message
1142:British companies disestablished in 1918
1037:1908 promotional film (German subtitles)
918:"Hornsby Chain Track Tractor (E1958.15)"
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527:, with a formal demonstration staged at
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813:Pernie, Gwenyth Laird (March 3, 2009).
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445:Royal Agricultural Society of England
276:name. The company developed an early
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504:Hornsby Chain Tracked Tractor (1907)
60:adding citations to reliable sources
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1019:Hornsby Steam Chain Tractor website
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601:was uninterested, and refused the
593:Sale of caterpillar tractor patent
496:First Chain Tracked Tractor (1905)
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1132:1918 disestablishments in England
1031:Tank Chats No. 23 Hornsby Tractor
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989:One Hundred Years of Good Company
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366:Four-stroke, 14 HP running at the
907:Friday 1 September 1989, page 84
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880:"A History Of The First Tanks"
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995:, 1957, Northumberland Press.
836:. Pen and Sword. p. 14.
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304:The company took the name of
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320:Product range and inventions
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71:"Richard Hornsby & Sons"
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1117:Diesel engine manufacturers
1082:Companies based in Grantham
991:(history of R & H), by
752:Ruston, Proctor and Company
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730:Museum of Lincolnshire Life
616:Caterpillar Tractor Company
484:8 mph, and a reverse.
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1057:1905 Hornsby-Akroyd engine
762:Clayton & Shuttleworth
712:A number of Hornsby-built
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608:Holt Manufacturing Company
455:Heavy oil military tractor
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254:Richard Hornsby & Sons
135:Richard Hornsby & Sons
1046:1/3 scale Hornsby Tractor
587:Stanley Brenton von Donop
377:Hornsby-Akroyd oil engine
362:Hornsby-Akroyd oil engine
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152:Agricultural engineering
1147:Ruston (engine builder)
1061:Great Dorset Steam Fair
920:. Bovington Tank Museum
832:Kaplan, Philip (2013).
747:Ruston (engine builder)
369:Great Dorset Steam Fair
1041:British Film Institute
957:www.hornsbycrawler.org
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1033:from the Tank Museum
679:Ruston & Proctor
642:Tanks in World War I
420:Chicago World's Fair
294:Ruston & Hornsby
196:Ruston & Hornsby
56:improve this article
944:11 May 2008 at the
886:. 18 September 2016
884:The Arts Mechanical
638:History of the tank
426:, and for powering
328:Hornsby & Sons
231:Number of employees
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821:on August 3, 2012.
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689:Surviving machines
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401:and increased the
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18:Hornsby & Sons
1053:in Leicestershire
974:978-0-946169-05-4
631:R. E. B. Crompton
514:heavy oil engined
428:Guglielmo Marconi
416:Statue of Liberty
412:Rock of Gibraltar
403:compression ratio
387:heavy oil engines
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819:the original
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210:Lincolnshire
202:Headquarters
140:Company type
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54:Please help
49:verification
46:
29:
1025:Video clips
732:, Lincoln.
575:North Wales
552:caterpillar
539:motor car.
510:chain track
449:chain-track
424:lighthouses
1071:Categories
890:9 February
768:References
636:See also:
612:C. L. Best
599:War Office
559:Edward VII
381:Work with
310:blacksmith
266:oil engine
187:Taken over
82:newspapers
1039:from the
675:Admiralty
664:Ownership
621:When the
544:Aldershot
508:Later, a
465:heavy oil
408:Taj Mahal
300:Formation
192:Successor
942:Archived
864:26 March
736:See also
671:seconded
581:to 105.
529:Grantham
314:Grantham
258:Grantham
216:Products
206:Grantham
148:Industry
1063:in 2005
1059:at the
683:Lincoln
533:wheeled
517:tractor
468:tractor
392:Newport
371:in 2008
364:(1905):
262:England
247:Lincoln
220:Engines
176:Defunct
166:Founder
158:Founded
143:Private
96:scholar
972:
924:17 May
840:
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720:and 3
470:(1903)
414:, the
410:, the
332:(1894)
312:'s in
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278:track
103:JSTOR
89:books
970:ISBN
926:2013
892:2023
866:2022
838:ISBN
798:ISBN
640:and
235:3000
184:Fate
179:1918
161:1828
75:news
681:of
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58:by
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785:^
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