Caterpillar Calendar 2024 Author: N/A Published by: Octane Press ISBN: 978-1-64234-141-6 Price: £16.99 each

f space for a vintage tractor is going to be hard to find, it will be even more difficult to accommodate the 12 subjects of the second calendar. This one features modern Caterpillar machinery. Caterpillar is now a global brand, having acquired companies all over the world and is the largest manufacturer of construction equipment.

Tracing its origin back to 1925 when the

C L Best Tractor Company and the Holt Manufacturing Company merged, the Caterpillar Tractor Company settled in California and started to manufacture a wide range of road building, agricultural and logging industry vehicles, specialising in tracked tractors and crawlers. Their distinctive ‘Caterpillar Yellow’ and the CAT logo are now universally recognised. After a number of reorganisations over the years, Caterpillar widened its range of products until nowadays they are equally as well known for their rugged boots, work wear and clothing. They even produce toughened mobile phones for building site use.

The selection of photos chosen for the 2024 calendar shows a wide variety of construction machinery. On the cover there is a 320D3 GC fully tracked excavator at work and on the back a more modest 424D Backhoe Loader, which looks more akin to our JCB tractors. Neither appear elsewhere. Given their tracked heritage, there are only two fully tracked bulldozers, a BD6 GC Medium Dozer fitted with a rear-mounted Ripper and a D11 Large Dozer, both of which are designed for land clearance.

However, the 340 Straight Boom Demolition Excavator, the 7495 with HydraCrowd Electric

Rope Shovel and the MH3024 Wheel Material Handler are also full tracked vehicles and most impressive. The wheeled equipment includes 950 and 980 Medium Wheel Loaders, a 988L Large Wheel Loader Steel Mill Arrangement, with a bucket of molten slag, a 740B Articulated Truck and a 14M3 Motor Grader. All of these and more are most impressive and worthy of the Caterpillar name, which is synonymous with high quality and super tough machines. A great selection for 2024! RC