1917 Self-Propelled Combine Restored To "Like-New" Condition

1917 Self-Propelled Combine Restored To "Like-New" Condition AG WORLD 30-3-21 "As far as I know it's the oldest self-propelled Holt hillside combine in existence," says Jim Heater of Silverton, Ore., about his restored 1917 Holt combine. It was one of the show stoppers at the recent Northwest Ag Show in Portland, Oregon. The machine dates back to 1917 and is a model 24 hillside, self-propelled unit built by Holt Mfg., Stockton, Calif. It cost less than $2,000 new. "At the show, a number of older people climbed on top of the machine to have their photos taken with it. Some of them said they had fathers or grandfathers who had operated these machines when they were very young," says Heater. "Holt self-propelled combines were produced from 1917 to 1921, with a total run of just 308 units. There are only 10 of these machines still around and only four are restored and operational. The other three restored Holt hillside combines are in California, South Dakota, and Kansas." The 12-ton machine, which can handle hillsides up to a 35 percent grade, was restored using engine serial numbers and old photos. "Everything is as original as we could make it," says Heater. The header on the combine is 18 ft. long. There are 50-lb. counterweights on a yoke at the rear of the header that allow the operator to counterbalance the header. Except for traction and engine parts, the model 64 is all wood, most of which was either missing or rotting away when Heater bought the machine. Until a few years ago, the old combine resided in a field near Spokane, Wash., where it had been put out to pasture and had settled into the ground. Heater found out about the combine from a friend and dug it out. The restoration, which was done by several of Heater's employees, took more than 1,800 man hours. "The combine had been sitting in the same fence row for more than 35 years," says Heater. "It took four months to negotiate a sale and then another two years before we actually moved the combine home." Benjamin Holt was a former wagon builder who began building wooden ground-powered "traveling thrashers" in the late 1800's. The combines were pulled by 35 to 40 horses and four men were needed to operate it. Holt patented his hillside combine in 1891. He received a patent for the original self-propelled combine in 1908, but production did not begin until 1916. He later began to build all-steel combines around 1924. In 1925, Holt merged with the Best Company to form Caterpillar. Caterpillar continued to build steel pull-type combines in both hillside and prairie models until 1935, when the harvester business and all the patents were sold to John Deere. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Heater, 4672 Drift Creek Road S.E., Sublimity, Oregon 97385 (ph 503 769-7120).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.