A caterpillar tractor is a type of heavy construction equipment that uses a hydraulic power-shift transmission to change gears. Caterpillar tractors are often used to move earth and build roads. They are also popular in logging, construction, and mining applications.
The name “caterpillar” came from the Holt Manufacturing Company’s series of tracked tractors that were first produced in 1909. Benjamin Holt liked the look of this new design and decided to call them “Caterpillars.” A photographer took a picture of one of these tractors while it was being tested, and one bystander commented that it looked like a caterpillar. The name stuck, and Caterpillar was now a trademark for the company’s track-type tractors.
Holt’s tractors were known for their excellent performance and ruggedness, making them highly desirable for farming and other agricultural tasks. They were also used on logging and construction jobs, such as the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State. In addition, Caterpillar tractors were widely used in the United States Army in World War I.
In 1925, the Holt Manufacturing Company was acquired by C. L. Best Tractor Co. This company was known as a pioneer in the industrial tractor industry, and it continued to make a variety of specialized tractors through its many subsidiaries.
Among its early products was the “Holt Seventy-Five Caterpillar,” a front tiller-wheeled tractor that was designed for military hauling duties. The machine was later made into a commercial model by Holt, and it remains a popular model today.
Another model that grew out of the Holt Manufacturing Company was the Holt 10-Ton Caterpillar, which was primarily manufactured for military purposes. The machine was converted into a commercial model two years after its introduction.
The tracked design of the Holt “Caterpillar” tractors evolved from a need for a more mobile tractor to move across the rich, soft farmland that was common in California at the time. Holt experimented with many designs, but the use of continuous tracks proved to be the best solution.
This type of traction helped the tractors move smoothly over uneven ground, so Holt called them “Caterpillars.” The name stuck, and eventually the entire line was called the “Caterpillar” family of tractors.
In the 1940s, Caterpillar began producing rubber-tired wheeled loaders. These machines had a unique cylinder that was welded to the back of the loader, allowing it to lift the wheel, which in turn could handle material, such as gravel or dirt. This system was very effective for handling heavy loads, and became a standard feature on most of Caterpillar’s articulated loaders that were introduced in the 1950s.
Those wheeled loaders were followed by rubber-tired crawler tractors, which offered better performance and lower operating costs. These tractors were the most popular models produced by Caterpillar for many years.
Caterpillar tractors are now used on all types of earth-moving jobs, as well as in agriculture and other industries. They are built with powerful, high-speed engines and task-aligned transmissions that help to enhance customer confidence in their machinery and improve overall operation.
