Lester M. Sears was the man 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 although it may appear a bit obsolete at the moment, it was packed with new ideas. The machine transformed and changed the materials handling business.
The first truck that Lester offered innovations on has become the standard these days within the lift truck business. Several of these key features include: wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, equal reverse and high-speed forward gears, and hydraulic lifting and tilting.
Lester began the "Towmotor" and afterward began CAT Forklifts, after being acquired by Caterpillar in 1965. With the same commitment to practical solutions, dedication to new ideas and extraordinary dependability, CAT enjoys thinking that they are Lester's direct descendants. The Model L was so durable and efficient that the model worked hard for over 30 years prior to finally retiring.
It was then during the year 1992, when Caterpillar joined Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in a joint venture. They brought together technological strengths and financial and marketing strengths in the production of material handling machinery. The corporation has had their head office within Almere, the Netherlands ever since that time.
At present, CAT Forklifts are among the best-built in the business. These machines come in LPG, diesel, electric counter balanced models and gasoline engines. The company makes an entire line of warehouse machines also. The local CAT dealers are amongst the very best in the business and provide more than 80 years of relevant experience.
The RTCH is a particularly engineered rough terrain vehicle that can operate in as much as 5 feet of sea water and uses 4-wheel drive. This model could function on soft soil locations such as unprepared beaches. The RTCH is able to handle the 20 to 40 foot long and 8 foot wide containers.