Lester M. Sears was the gentleman who believed it could be good idea to adapt the farm tractor for use by industry more than 80 years ago. He made the "Model L," and even if it may look quite obsolete at the moment, it was packed with new ideas. The equipment transformed and revolutionized the materials handling business.
The first truck which Lester provided innovations on has become the basic today within the lift truck industry. Among these key features comprise: rear-wheel steering, wheel drive, hydraulic lifting and tilting and high speed forward and equal reverse gears.
Lester started the "Towmotor" and after that started CAT Lift Trucks, after being obtained by Caterpillar in 1965. With the same dedication to practical solutions, commitment to exceptional reliability and new ideas, CAT enjoys thinking that they are direct descendants of Lester's. The Model L was so efficient and strong that the prototype worked hard for more than 30 years before finally retiring.
It was then in 1992, when Caterpillar joined Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in a joint venture. They brought together marketing and financial strengths and technological strengths in the manufacturing of material handling machinery. The company has had their headquarters in Almere, the Netherlands ever since that time.
CAT forklifts are now among the best built machinery within the industry. CAT makes lift trucks that run on diesel, LPG, electric counter balanced units and gasoline engines. The corporation also makes a complete line of warehouse machinery. The local CAT dealers are amongst the best within the industry and provide more than 80 years of relevant experience.
The RTCH is a particularly engineered rough terrain vehicle which can operate in as much as 5 feet of sea water and uses 4-wheel drive. This unit is capable of functioning on soft soil locations like for instance unprepared beaches. The RTCH can handle the 8 foot wide and 20 to 40 foot long containers.