Lester M. Sears was the man who believed it could be good idea to adapt the farm tractor for use by industry over 80 years ago. He made the "Model L," and even though it could appear rather outdated at the present, it was packed with new ideas. The machinery revolutionized and transformed the materials handling industry.
The initial truck that Lester provided innovations on has become the standard today within the forklift business. Among these important features include: rear-wheel steering, wheel drive, high speed forward and equal reverse gears, and hydraulic lifting and tilting.
In the year 1965 the corporation was acquired by Caterpillar and Lester began "Towmotor" and after that began CAT Lift Trucks. With the same commitment to practical solutions, commitment to new ideas and extraordinary reliability, CAT enjoys thinking that they are Lester's direct descendants. The Model L was really strong and efficient that the prototype worked hard for over 30 years before finally retiring.
It was then during the year 1992, when Caterpillar joined Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in a joint venture. They brought together financial and marketing strengths and technological strengths in the production of material handling machinery. The company has had their headquarters within Almere, the Netherlands ever since that time.
CAT lift trucks are now among the best built equipment in the business. CAT makes lift trucks which run on diesel, LPG, electric counter balanced models and gasoline engines. The company manufactures a complete series of warehouse machinery as well. The local CAT dealers are among the very best in the industry and provide over 80 years of pertinent experience.
The RTCH is a particularly designed rough terrain vehicle which is able to operate in as much as 5 feet of sea water and uses 4-wheel drive. This specific unit could function on soft soil locations like unprepared beaches. The RTCH could handle the 8 foot wide and 20 to 40 foot long containers.