204:", where each wheel had hinged plates attached loosely at regular intervals around the outside of the rim. Each plate in turn would lie flat on the ground as the wheel rolled over it, providing better support in muddy or sandy ground. Bottrill heard of Boydell's system, and in 1906 filed a patent for an improved design. He used crossed wire ropes to attach the "bearer" shoes to the wheel rims. The plates alternated on each side of the rim, which was split, to give a smoother ride. Bottrill's "Dreadnaught" or "Ped-rail" patent was approved on 6 September 1907. He installed his dreadnaught wheels on two McLaren steam traction engines between 1906 and 1910.
285:
208:
33:
189:
271:
heavy sand with the one mile gear on all the time for about 12 miles. The last three days of return trip I did 13.17 and 15.5 miles respectively. I think this tractor has proved itself very suitable to the Com' during this trip, especially after getting past those gluepots with an inch of rain there.
399:
Big Lizzie had a
Blackstone single-cylinder engine that delivered 60 horsepower at 275 rpm, running on a mix of diesel and crude oil. It was cooled by water, and had an exhaust-induced airflow "radiator" that Bottril had designed. The 7 feet (2.1 m) diameter flywheel weighed three tons, and the
292:
Bottrill planned to drive Big Lizzie to the Broken Hill mines, with two pedrail-equipped wagons in tow. He left
Melbourne early in 1916, taking his family with him. He travelled at a maximum speed of 1 mph, going off road where bridges were not strong enough or the road bends were too sharp.
275:
Botrill's patented wheels were also used on "Big Lizzie", a huge traction engine which McDonald's built to his design in 1915. Big Lizzie could carry almost 90 tons when two trailers were attached. There were just six bearers on each wheel, compared to
Bottril's earlier designs which had as many as
270:
When at the 132 miles I had an inch of rain to contend with and at the time it came on there were two large claypans (like glue) and a salt lake to contend with too – directly in front of me. For the next two days I travelled only four miles, but I got past the claypans and lake and got into
175:
By 1896 Bottrill had returned to East
Payneham in Adelaide and was working there as a blacksmith. He submitted a patent application in September 1896 for improvements to the design of windmills. Frank Botrill and his brother Reuben were hired to clear bush in
276:
twelve bearers. This placed more strain on the cables retaining the bearers, and had the effect of reducing the tractor's speed to one mile per hour. Big Lizzie was awkward to manoeuvre, with a turning radius of 200 feet (61 m).
400:
entire engine weighed eight tons. The tractor was 34 feet (10 m) long, 11 feet (3.4 m) wide and 18 feet (5.5 m) high. Big Lizzie included a blacksmithy and anvil mounted on the foredeck. The total weight was 45 tons.
367:
until 1942 and was scrapped in 1945. Big Lizzie was recovered and brought to Red Cliffs in 1971. She is now displayed in
Barclay Square on the Calder Highway. Visitors may listen to a recording that tells the history of the machine.
348:, from 1926 to 1931, and from 1926 to 1928 cleared land at the nearby Glendinning station. However, disputes arose with the station owners, one being due to the fact that Bottril would not work on Saturday, considered to be the
360:, near Mildura, where he was an elder of the church and the treasurer for the rest of his life. He died on 7 January 1953 at Mildura. Despite all the frustrations, Bottrill was never known to drink, swear or lose his temper.
115:
design. Alternating bearing plates gave support to each wheel, allowing it to travel over soft ground without bogging down. This was an early attempt to solve the problem that was later addressed more effectively by the
389:
The tractors worked well on the railway construction job, used to haul equipment and material that had to be carried in advance of the railhead. Once the job was done, it seems that they were abandoned where they stood.
235:, where he collaborated with the A. H. McDonald company as an engineer as well as a blacksmith. The Mount Gunson copper mines in South Australia bought the first set of Dreadnaught wheels on a tractor built by
111:(1 April 1871 â 7 January 1953) was an Australian blacksmith and inventor, known for his giant "Big Lizzie" traction engine, thought to be at one time the largest in the world. It had a unique variant of the
328:
Urgently needing work, Bottrill began taking on contracts to haul wheat and clear bush in the area. He was to continue with this work for the rest of his working life. From 1920 to 1924 Bottrill worked in
341:
veterans. Up to 16 men helped attach cables to trees and stumps which Big Lizzie then hauled out. After this job was over, Bottrill drove Big Lizzie to
Western Victoria to continue clearing land.
725:
239:
with a forty-horsepower twin-cylinder McDonald engine. It was tested in swampy land near the
Austral Otis works in August 1911, then dismantled and shipped to Hummock Hill (now
762:
148:. His father, John Lucas Bottrill, was a market gardener. His mother was Eliza Bottrill, nÊe Macklin. He apprenticed as a blacksmith, and worked in the
250:
For a while
Bottril's pedrails were offered as an optional feature by McDonald's on their farm and industrial tractors. They were used on tractors in
313:
as planned since the river was flooded and
Bottrill was not allowed to take the tractor into the town over the approach bridge. Bottrill reached
699:
671:
643:
120:. After running into financial difficulty, Bottrill spent the later part of his working life clearing bush and hauling loads in the west of
160:, around 1889. In an early venture, Bottrill formed a steam-engine company to transport supplies to Broken Hill and set out from
349:
767:
244:
224:
157:
363:
Big Lizzie stood idle for many years. The
Blackstone engine was sold in 1938, powered stone crushing equipment at
232:
357:
259:
301:
was flooded, and it took three weeks to remove snags and build earthworks before a crossing was possible near
165:
149:
364:
334:
255:
251:
188:
757:
752:
353:
352:
by his church. He sold out in 1928, reluctantly abandoning Big Lizzie. Botrill lived in Lismore near
330:
325:
in October 1917. After a journey of 21 months, he found that the Murray was flooded and impassable.
220:
212:
129:
125:
284:
345:
231:. On 31 March 1909 he married Margaret Young, a bible worker with the church. Botrill moved to
695:
689:
667:
639:
294:
201:
117:
112:
633:
661:
314:
302:
337:, clearing the ground for a 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) irrigated farming settlement for
263:
145:
121:
56:
635:
Australian Tractors: Indigenous Tractors And Self-propelled Machines in Rural Australia
298:
153:
614:
746:
197:
597:
306:
236:
169:
254:, mines. In 1913 McDonald's won contracts to build two tractors with pedrails for
207:
338:
317:
in January 1917, where he spent five months working on improvements. He reached
266:. Reuben Bottril brought the tractors into operation. He wrote to his brother,
564:
562:
560:
177:
141:
32:
243:), where Frank and Reuben Bottril re-assembled the tractor and drove it to
164:
with his first vehicle. The engine became bogged down in the sand north of
156:
mines in South Australia, qualifying as a steam engine driver. He moved to
228:
161:
322:
240:
75:
310:
192:
Illustration from Bottrill's 1912 patent filing in the United Kingdom
200:
had obtained a patent in Britain for a steam traction engine with "
318:
726:"Improvements relating to Ped-rail Shoes for Heavy Road Vehicles"
568:
663:
Remarkable Australian Farm Machines: Ingenuity on the Land
128:. Big Lizzie has been preserved, and stands in a park in
613:
Kendall, F. J. (1979). "Bottrill, Frank (1871â1953)".
688:
Rowthorn, Chris; Landragin, Alex; Daly, Kate (2002).
580:
535:
533:
531:
529:
516:
514:
512:
499:
497:
434:
432:
430:
428:
426:
424:
422:
420:
418:
416:
484:
482:
480:
478:
476:
451:
449:
447:
98:
90:
82:
64:
42:
23:
600:. Red Cliffs & District Historical Society Inc
666:. Rosenberg Publishing Pty, Limited. p. 8.
268:
140:Frank Bottrill was born on 1 April 1871 into a
619:. Vol. 7. Australian National University
8:
31:
20:
728:. European Patent Office. 17 October 1912
293:The tractor broke through a bridge near
283:
206:
187:
438:
412:
382:
180:, South Australia, in the early 1900s.
638:. Rosenberg Publishing Pty, Limited.
551:
539:
520:
503:
488:
467:
455:
258:, who were building a section of the
7:
581:Rowthorn, Landragin & Daly 2002
616:Australian Dictionary of Biography
211:"Big Lizzie" on 14 August 2009 at
16:Australian blacksmith and inventor
14:
763:20th-century Australian inventors
569:Big Lizzie: Red Cliffs Historical
356:from 1931 to 1934, then moved to
694:. Lonely Planet. p. 389.
1:
245:Port Augusta, South Australia
225:Seventh-day Adventist Church
158:Broken Hill, New South Wales
102:"Big Lizzie" traction engine
172:, and had to be abandoned.
784:
660:Quick, Graeme R. (2007).
632:Quick, Graeme R. (2006).
30:
358:Dareton, New South Wales
309:could not be crossed at
260:Trans-Australian Railway
223:in 1908, and joined the
691:Lonely Planet Victoria
289:
273:
216:
193:
168:, to the north of the
738:(1912 British patent)
335:Rural City of Mildura
287:
256:Commonwealth Railways
252:Cloncurry, Queensland
210:
191:
184:Engineer and inventor
768:People from Adelaide
354:Camperdown, Victoria
288:"Big Lizzie" in 2006
213:Red Cliffs, Victoria
130:Red Cliffs, Victoria
94:Blacksmith, inventor
321:in August 1917 and
346:Balmoral, Victoria
290:
219:Bottrill moved to
217:
202:Dreadnaught Wheels
194:
701:978-1-74059-240-6
673:978-1-877058-58-5
645:978-1-877058-39-4
118:caterpillar track
113:Dreadnaught Wheel
106:
105:
775:
737:
735:
733:
712:
710:
708:
684:
682:
680:
656:
654:
652:
628:
626:
624:
609:
607:
605:
584:
578:
572:
566:
555:
549:
543:
537:
524:
518:
507:
501:
492:
486:
471:
465:
459:
453:
442:
436:
401:
397:
391:
387:
71:
52:
50:
35:
21:
783:
782:
778:
777:
776:
774:
773:
772:
743:
742:
741:
731:
729:
724:
718:Further reading
715:
706:
704:
702:
687:
678:
676:
674:
659:
650:
648:
646:
631:
622:
620:
612:
603:
601:
596:
587:
579:
575:
567:
558:
550:
546:
538:
527:
519:
510:
502:
495:
487:
474:
466:
462:
454:
445:
437:
414:
405:
404:
398:
394:
388:
384:
374:
282:
264:Nullarbor Plain
233:South Melbourne
186:
146:Sturt, Adelaide
138:
122:New South Wales
78:
73:
69:
60:
57:Sturt, Adelaide
54:
48:
46:
38:
37:Frank Bottrill.
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
781:
779:
771:
770:
765:
760:
755:
745:
744:
740:
739:
721:
714:
713:
700:
685:
672:
657:
644:
629:
610:
593:
586:
585:
583:, p. 389.
573:
556:
544:
525:
508:
493:
472:
460:
443:
411:
403:
402:
392:
381:
380:
373:
370:
344:He lived near
299:Campaspe River
281:
278:
185:
182:
137:
134:
109:Frank Bottrill
104:
103:
100:
99:Known for
96:
95:
92:
88:
87:
84:
80:
79:
74:
72:(aged 81)
68:7 January 1953
66:
62:
61:
55:
44:
40:
39:
36:
28:
27:
25:Frank Bottrill
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
780:
769:
766:
764:
761:
759:
756:
754:
751:
750:
748:
727:
723:
722:
720:
719:
703:
697:
693:
692:
686:
675:
669:
665:
664:
658:
647:
641:
637:
636:
630:
618:
617:
611:
599:
595:
594:
592:
591:
582:
577:
574:
570:
565:
563:
561:
557:
554:, p. 13.
553:
548:
545:
542:, p. 84.
541:
536:
534:
532:
530:
526:
523:, p. 62.
522:
517:
515:
513:
509:
506:, p. 61.
505:
500:
498:
494:
490:
485:
483:
481:
479:
477:
473:
469:
464:
461:
457:
452:
450:
448:
444:
440:
435:
433:
431:
429:
427:
425:
423:
421:
419:
417:
413:
410:
409:
396:
393:
386:
383:
379:
378:
371:
369:
366:
361:
359:
355:
351:
347:
342:
340:
336:
332:
326:
324:
320:
316:
312:
308:
304:
300:
296:
286:
279:
277:
272:
267:
265:
261:
257:
253:
248:
246:
242:
238:
234:
230:
226:
222:
214:
209:
205:
203:
199:
198:James Boydell
190:
183:
181:
179:
173:
171:
167:
163:
159:
155:
151:
147:
143:
135:
133:
131:
127:
123:
119:
114:
110:
101:
97:
93:
91:Occupation(s)
89:
85:
81:
77:
67:
63:
58:
45:
41:
34:
29:
22:
19:
730:. Retrieved
717:
716:
705:. Retrieved
690:
677:. Retrieved
662:
649:. Retrieved
634:
621:. Retrieved
615:
602:. Retrieved
598:"Big Lizzie"
589:
588:
576:
547:
491:, p. 8.
470:, p. 5.
463:
458:, p. 6.
439:Kendall 1979
407:
406:
395:
385:
376:
375:
365:Pyramid Hill
362:
343:
327:
307:Murray River
291:
274:
269:
249:
237:Austral Otis
218:
215:, Australia
195:
174:
170:Murray River
139:
108:
107:
70:(1953-01-07)
53:1 April 1871
18:
758:1953 deaths
753:1871 births
339:World War I
280:Later years
262:across the
136:Early years
83:Nationality
59:, Australia
747:Categories
552:Quick 2006
540:Quick 2006
521:Quick 2006
504:Quick 2006
489:Quick 2007
468:Quick 2007
456:Quick 2007
372:References
331:Red Cliffs
144:family in
86:Australian
49:1871-04-01
408:Citations
333:, in the
178:Tintinara
142:Methodist
229:Ballarat
221:Victoria
196:In 1846
162:Adelaide
154:Wallaroo
126:Victoria
590:Sources
350:Sabbath
323:Mildura
305:. The
295:Kilmore
241:Whyalla
76:Mildura
732:12 May
707:12 May
698:
679:12 May
670:
651:12 May
642:
623:12 May
604:12 May
315:Kerang
311:Echuca
303:Elmore
297:. The
166:Morgan
150:Moonta
377:Notes
319:Ouyen
734:2013
709:2013
696:ISBN
681:2013
668:ISBN
653:2013
640:ISBN
625:2013
606:2013
152:and
124:and
65:Died
43:Born
227:in
749::
559:^
528:^
511:^
496:^
475:^
446:^
415:^
247:.
132:.
736:.
711:.
683:.
655:.
627:.
608:.
571:.
441:.
51:)
47:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
