Arthur Clifford HowardPrint Page

The memorial commemorates Arthur Clifford Howard, the inventor of Rotary Hoe who was born at Crookwell.

Encouraged by his father, who had brought the first steam tractor to Gilgandra where he had taken up a property, Howard in 1912 began experiments in rotary tillage which culminated in his invention of the rotary hoe. It used rotating discs driven by a tractor engine to cut weeds and plants roots and mixes these with the soil. For many crops this method produced top soil more suitable for seeding and growth than convectional ploughs had done.

He designed many different rotary hoes models for specific applications including orchards, vineyards, sugarcane and heavy duty hoes for clearing. In 1928 Howard started the Howard Auto Company near Sydney and by 1929 he was exporting hoes throughout the world. By the 1970’s the company had produced more than 400,0000 hoes sold in more than 120 countries and had operations in 14 countries.

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