Daniel Best

Daniel Best (1838-1923) was an American inventor and entrepreneur. He specialized in designing and manufacturing agricultural equipment. His developments would eventually lead to the popularization of steam traction engines for farm use and the establishment of the Caterpillar company.

[edit] History

Best was born on March 28th, 1838 in Ohio. He was the ninth of 16 children from his father’s two marriages. Early in his youth he lived in Missouri, where his father ran a sawmill. His family eventually relocated to 400-acre (162-ha) farm in Vincennes, Iowa.

Following his brothers, Daniel Best moved out West in 1859 where he initially made his living working in the mining and timber industries. However, his brothers were busy farming corn in California, so he decided to join them.

[edit] Best's Grain-cleaning Machine

In order to help the business, Daniel Best designed and constructed a transportable machine for cleaning grain. The Best brothers put the machine to work in 1870, and were able to clean 60 tons of grain per day.^[1]

After witnessing his grain cleaning machine’s success, Best patented it in 1871 and formed a partnership with L.D. Brown to market it. “‘Brown and Best’s unrivalled seed separator’ won first prize at the California State Fair.”^[2] Best followed this triumph by designing and patenting a seed-coating machine and clothes washing machine.

With his brothers' continued involvement in the corn industry, Daniel Best remained dedicated to developing more machinery to help. Also, Oregon State mandated corn to be cleaned before sale or transport. The market for his corn-cleaning machine was growing. So, Best formed a new partnership, with Nathaniel Slate, to market his machine in both Oregon and California.

[edit] Growth and Expansion

Best decided to move North with his family to Washington State to pursue more work in the mining and timber industries. All the while, Best’s machines were growing in popularity and his current manufacturing facilities were unable to meet the demand.

Best expanded by purchasing the San Leandro Plow Co. and renaming it Daniel Best Agricultural Works. He also patented and released a combined header and thresher equipped with a fan blast governor that allowed the machine to work at a constant pace regardless of variations in the speed at which it moved across a field. The new machine was revolutionary for the industry and, as a result, 150 of them sold in a couple years.^[3]

However, Best understood the biggest development for the agricultural industry had yet to come: steam traction engines. Many California farms required as many as 150 horses, which were extremely costly to house and feed. By the late 1800s, steam engines began to be adapted for farm use and Best wanted a piece of the action. He bought the rights to manufacturer the Remington “Rough and Ready” steam traction engine.

He adapted the Remington engine so it could tow his combine harvester and power its auxiliary engine. He patented the machine in 1889. The new 50 horsepower vehicle was immediately successful; it later gave way to an 110 horsepower model in 1897.^[4]

At this point, Daniel Best was in heated competition with fellow tractor developer Benjamin Holt. In 1905, Best filed a lawsuit against Holt claiming he stole the design for his tractor’s power take-off. The suit was in court for three years, but before the case could be settled, Best sold his company to Holt with the condition that his son Clarence Leo Best became president of the San Leandro facility.

While C.L. Best and Benjamin Holt would continue competing for a number of years they would eventually merge to form the company Caterpillar.

[edit] References

1. ↑ Tractor: The Inventor - Daniel Best. Auto Lemon, 2008-09-25.
2. ↑ Tractor: The Inventor - Daniel Best. Auto Lemon, 2008-09-25.
3. ↑ Tractor: The Inventor - Daniel Best. Auto Lemon, 2008-09-25.
4. ↑ Backus, Richard. 100 Years on Tracks. Gas Engine Magazine, 2008-09-25.