Frank Bottrill

Frank Bottrill
Frank and Reuben Bottrill with Big Lizzie, in Red Cliffs, Victoria
Born	(1871-04-01)1 April 1871 Sturt, Adelaide, Australia
Died	7 January 1953(1953-01-07) (aged 81) Mildura
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Blacksmith, inventor
Known for	"Big Lizzie" traction engine

Frank Bottrill (1 April 1871 – 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 Dreadnaught Wheel 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 caterpillar track. After running into financial difficulty, Bottrill spent the later part of his working life clearing bush and hauling loads in the west of New South Wales and Victoria. Big Lizzie has been preserved, and stands in a small park in Red Cliffs, Victoria.

Frank Bottrill was born on 1 April 1871 into a Methodist family in Sturt, Adelaide. His father, John Lucas Bottrill, was a market gardener. His mother was Eliza Bottrill, née Macklin. He apprenticed as a blacksmith, and worked in the Moonta and Wallaroo mines in South Australia, qualifying as a steam engine driver. He moved to Broken Hill, New South Wales, around 1889. In an early venture, Bottrill formed a steam-engine company to transport supplies to Broken Hill and set out from Adelaide with his first vehicle. The engine became bogged down in the sand north of Morgan, to the north of the Murray River, and had to be abandoned.

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 Tintinara, South Australia, in the early 1900s.

In 1846 James Boydell had obtained a patent in Britain for a steam traction engine with "Dreadnaught Wheels", 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.