Holt Combine

John Doig posted

Screenshot from video

I knew Holt made crawlers and was a predecessor of the Caterpillar company. I did not know they made combines until I saw this video. Holt announced their first pull combine in 1886. [TheJohnDeereLegacy]

John Hoisington Caterpillar 2 ton pulling a Holt 36, the tools and rights were later sold to John Deere which in turn became the John Deere 36B. 
Barry Mackay Maybe speeded up a little! Still is very interesting! Times have changed, eh??
Bert Patton Holt combines had screw jacks for each side of machine to keep them level on side slopes
Bill Eiler Have one of these but an International Harvester McCormick Deering model 51 side hill

The combine must be powered by the wheels because I don't see a PTO shaft behind the tractor. I don't think the concept of a PTO had been invented yet. That looks old enough that most harvesters were still stationary and driven by a long, leather belt from a tractor's belt pulley. One of the men on the combine is continually turning a wheel to adjust something. It is not clear why there two more men on board. Maybe they are just spectators.

This was even older because the tractor is steam powered.

Screenshot from video

Another screenshot

Update:

Screenshot at -2:06 from video
[Most of this video is a "talking head," but it does have some interesting views at the beginning.]

Screenshot, 1905 Holt with a 32-mule hitch
[In 1905 I think this would have been pulled with a steam or gas tractor. But they wanted to demonstrate how harvesters used to be pulled by big hitches and this is the harvester they had.]

Combines Haresters Threshers posted
[Fortunately they put their name on the side well enough that I could tell this was a Holt.]

Bob Parkin posted
Mid 80s. 1927 Holt model 34.

John Doig also posted

See [TheJohnDeereLegacy] (p 118) for a picture of the Holt self-propelled combine first built in 1911. But this is typically ignored as the first self-propelled combine because they just put an engine and steering wheel in front of a pull type combine.

This is not a Holt, but it is of this vintage.

Chris Fink shared
Gary Yaeger posted
Our TD-9 International, Advance Rumely combine harvester and K-5 IH truck. My dad is shovelling grain from the chute. Ca 1948.

A video of a 1928 Holt 36 running in 2020  (source)

A video of a 1915 55hp Holt engine that was used to power one of the first self-propelled combines.