The History of Caterpillar car maker & VIN decoder

The history of Caterpillar goes back to the end of the XIX century, when its founders Daniel Best and Benjamin Holt (each with their own independent plants at the time) conducted experiments with the use of harbor tractors in agriculture (1890). At the turn of the century they were modernizing wheeled tractors to make them more maneuverable and passable.

The research of the two engineers led to the creation in 1905 of a steam engine for tractors, which was used in laying the cable in San Francisco. It was the first time Caterpillar machines had been used in construction work. A year later, an earthquake struck San Francisco, and Caterpillar equipment was used to correct the damage.

The first success inspired the company's founders, and they began working on new tractor models. In 1908-1913 models were improved by steel structures, three-speed transmission, improved spring suspension system and coupling of tractor parts.

In 1913 was the first recorded delivery of Caterpillar caterpillar tractors to Russia (this was contributed by the gold medal received by the company in the competition for plowing). During the First World War, Caterpillar delivered caterpillar tractors to Russia, England and France, and after the U.S. entered the war, to the American front.

In all, more than 5,000 tractors were produced for the United States and the Allied republics during this period. In 1919 a new tractor was produced that had 75 hp and front wheels in addition to the tracks. Such tractors began to be produced at the Obukhov factory in Petrograd.

Since 1921, tractors began to be delivered to Europe for construction of Rhine-Main-Danube. The year 1925 is considered the year of Caterpillar's founding, when the two founders of the company combined their production facilities under a common brand and name. In the USSR, Caterpillar in the 20s continued to supply diesel engines and contributed to the development of the tractor industry.

In 1929 Soviet agriculture was supplemented with 2,050 tracked machines. In 1930, Caterpillar tractors were purchased by the Belgian authorities for the construction of the King Albert Canal. In 1931, similar tractors were seen working on the construction of the Hoover Dam in the United States.

In the 1930s, construction took place in different parts of the world, and almost everywhere the equipment Caterpillar was present, it also could not do without it when eliminating the consequences of natural disasters (such a trend can be traced throughout the history of the company).

During the Second World War, Caterpillar was not left without orders. Moreover, it managed to expand its product range, adding power plants and graders to the existing gasoline and diesel tractors (so Caterpillar began producing construction vehicles).

The war ended and Caterpillar continued to grow and develop. To do so it needed new markets. The first overseas representative office and the first step in this direction was made in 1950, when a subsidiary was opened in Great Britain. However, there were difficulties with the opening of this representative office due to high import duties.

Caterpillar quickly found a way out of this situation by deciding to assemble machinery directly in England, so the first Caterpillar overseas plant was opened. In 1953, 93 new Caterpillar machines were purchased by the Indian government for the development of the country's road network.

In 1955, under a U.S. government contract, Caterpillar produced equipment for military operation Deep Freeze I - code name for a number of missions to explore the environment, particularly Antarctica, where the first decades Caterpillar tractors were the only terrain scanner.

In 1956, Deep Freeze II and Deep Freeze III operations were developed, for which Caterpillar supplied additional equipment (a total of 143 machines were involved in these operations at various times). In the same 1956 some of the U.S. manufacturer's tracked vehicles were flown to Melbourne, Australia to begin preparations for the Olympic Games (since then all the Olympic Games are prepared with the use of Caterpillar equipment).

In 1963, Caterpillar and industrial Japanese company Mitsubishi formed one of the first Japanese companies, with some ownership in U.S. hands. In 1965, the company became Japan's second-largest heavy manufacturing company. For Caterpillar it was a steady step towards capturing the Asian market.

In 1969, Caterpillar supplied engines for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. In 1973 a representative office of American Caterpillar was opened in Moscow. Recessions in the world market in the late 1970s proved difficult for Caterpillar. Do not forget to use Caterpillar VIN decoder in order to avoid potential problems when buying a used car.

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