William D. Ewart

William Dana Ewart (1851 - 1908) is the founder of Link-Belt Machinery Co. He was a significant contributor to the heavy machinery industry due to his invention of the linked belt that became, and remains, the standard for modern mechanical power transmissions.^[1] Ewart has been inducted into the Construction Equipment Hall of Fame.^[2]

[edit] History

[edit] An Unsatisfactory Design

Ewart was a farm implement dealer in Belle Plaine, Iowa. The harvesters he sold at the time used continuous chain belts with square and flat links that wore out unevenly. When an individual link broke, the entire belt would need to be removed and sent for repair. This could delay harvesting for long periods of time.

[edit] Ewart’s Design Improvement

As a result of his experience with harvesters, Ewart believed that the design of harvester belts could be improved—he began conceptualizing a new design.^[3] His dissatisfaction with current harvester belts culminated in the invention of a linked belt that would wear more evenly and that could be repaired in the field, reducing the interruption to harvesting. He obtained a patent for the invention on September 1, 1874.^[4] Ewart’s idea was revolutionary as it enabled the harvester operator to remove and fix a broken link while in the field. This new system would benefit many harvester operators, as the cost and time involved in repairing a broken belt would be dramatically reduced. Ewart established the William D. Ewart Manufacturing Co. in 1875.^[5]

[edit] Founding Link-Belt

In 1880 Ewart founded Link-Belt Machinery Co; eight years later, he founded Link-Belt Engineering Co. Today, the company is known as Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co., and is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Heavy Industries. The company now specializes in telescopic and lattice boom cranes.

[edit] References

1. ↑ William Dana Ewart. Cool Stuff and the Incredible Feats of Construction, 2008-09-29.
2. ↑ Construction Equipment Hall of Fame, 2008-09-29.
3. ↑ About Link-Belt. Link-Belt Construction Equipment, 2008-09-29.
4. ↑ About Link-Belt. Link-Belt Construction Equipment, 2008-09-29.
5. ↑ Link-Belt Co. Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2008-09-29.