Cat plant tour

Let me get a phone number for you.

I'll get back.

Sam

I heard that last month Cat suspended the tour due to the economy and plant shut downs.

I have not verified though.

Matt

Call Shelley at 309-675-4578 or email her at [email protected] to schedule. They will have some shutdown time, so you may need to work around that. She said they could get you into Building SS in East Peoria, the D6-11 factory. Make sure you tell her you are a Caterpillar customer and operator, not general public.

Good luck,
Sam

Back in the fall of 1966 the dealer I worked for sent me with a couple other mechanics from within the Co. to a service school so while there we toured the tractor factory and the Mossville engine factory and also had a trip to the proving grounds and it all was very interesting and learned a lot on how the factory produced their machines and engines and the proving grounds was very interesting too.Also here at our branch store in Wilkes Barre Pa. back in starting in 1957 the factory picked us here to send experimental tractors in the development of the power shift trans. The first one was a 15A D8 and had a power shift trans. in it and it had no torque convertor and boy that was a harsh shifter and the # 2-3 and 4s were up dated and the last couple were a pattern of the 46A tractor. They sent an engineer here and lived here for about 3 yrs. and after so many hours they were brought in and the trans. and some other things disassembled checked for wear etc. and put back to work after being put back together.These machines were mostly sent out in the coal strippings where they could run them 24 hrs. a day to get more hours on them in less calendar time.After the tractors had completed their testing here and they were sent back to the factory the engineer stayed here for another year if I recall and worked on other things they were testing.The engineer and his family lived about a 1/2 mile from me so my family and his got together quite often.A few years ago I got word that he had passed away.I got together with him at his home out in Il. and he took me to see places at the factory esp. the proving grounds.This trip to service school and the factory will always be with me.

Good memories SJ-I am sure your friends family would like to know you hold on to them so fondly.