1917 Holt 120 Tractor - First Drive in 80 Years

Video starts at 0:55, more pictures are interspersed between clips.

This is the final days of the restoration of Tom Madden's Holt 120 in May. It was found in Fairbanks, Alaska. The first picture is just 7 days before the last ones when the tractor was finally sent off. Our crew spent several late nights getting this massive project done. I personally spent many hours soldering together the hundreds of joints in the brand new radiator tubes among other things. It was fun but all of our crew is glad to have this project done.

As the tractor begins to move around, eventually with the tracks fully connected, this is the first time this tractor has moved under its own power in around 80 years. You may notice that we had the engine running a bit fast, however, we did this because of the brand new tracks. They were tight and rather stiff, so it took some grunt to get them moving the first few times.

I could go on and on about this amazing restoration but I'll let the video speak for itself. If you have any questions, feel free to comment and I'll do my best to answer them.

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to its premier show in California. But I found a video by Galynn Ferris where you can see it in action alongside the other two existing Holt 120's.    • Holt 120 at the Best of the West  

Enjoy!