Caterpillar 100-Year Anniversary Contest | 1925 – 2025

Discovering the Past – Honoring the Journey – Celebrating Together!
To mark Caterpillar’s 100-year anniversary, we invite all Cat® machine enthusiasts to join us in celebrating this milestone. If you own an old but still operating Cat® machine, now’s the time to share it with the world!


  • How to participate:

    👉 On Facebook:
    Post a comment under the relevant post with a photo of the oldest operational Caterpillar machine you own.
    Tag @eltrakgroup
    Include the model name and year of manufacture

    👉 On Instagram:
    Share a Story featuring a photo of the oldest operational Caterpillar machine you own and tag @eltrakgroup.
    📌 Also include the model name and year of manufacture in your Story.
  • Prize:
    The 3 oldest operational Cat® machines will receive a limited-edition Cat® scale model, specially designed to celebrate 100 years of Caterpillar.

Submission deadline: July 21, 2025

Be part of history. Showcase your machine and celebrate a century of engineering excellence with us.
Read the full contest terms and conditions here

CATERPILLAR.
A HUNDRED YEARS OF BUILDING

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO A WORLD LEADER IN ENGINEERING
We’re looking back on a century of groundbreaking innovation, engineering excellence, industry leadership and extraordinary people. And looking forward to the next 100 years.

x10 CATERPILLAR INNOVATIONS

1 STEAM-POWERED TRACKTYPE TRACTOR

Benjamin Holt tested his steam-powered track-type tractor prototype for the first time in 1904. The invention revolutionized the industry by making it easier to plant crops in soft, boggy soil without getting stuck.

2 CATERPILLAR SIXTY TRACK-TYPE TRACTOR

First sold as the Best 60 in 1919, the Caterpillar Sixty track-type tractor is one of the company’s most successful models. Its innovation in engineering is still present in the DNA of today’s Cat dozer lineup.

3 THE AUTO PATROL MOTOR GRADER

In 1931, Caterpillar produced the industry’s first true motor grader, the Auto Patrol, designed as one machine instead of a separate tractor with a grader frame fitted around it.

4 OLD BETSY

The D9900 prototype was nicknamed ‘Old Betsy’, and was Caterpillar’s first hand-built diesel engine. The D9900 ushered in an era of Caterpillar power solutions, diversifying the company’s customer base and opening avenues for growth. More than fifty years ago, ‘Old Betsy’ was donated to the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History and is deemed to be of significant historical importance.

5 ‘LOW GROUND PRESSURE’ (LGP) UNDERCARRIAGE

In 1955, Caterpillar introduced a special modification called ‘low ground pressure’ undercarriage, allowing machines to work in extreme weather conditions in
places like Antarctica. It’s still an option on our machines today.

6 ELEVATED SPROCKET

The elevated sprocket is considered an engineering marvel. It was introduced in 1977, allowing machines to work harder, last longer and provide a smoother operator ride. Today, it’s standard on all medium and large Cat engines.

7 CAT DIFFERENTIAL STEERING SYSTEM

The Cat Differential Steering System was designed in 1987 and allows machines to ‘turn on a dime’, increasing productivity.

8 AUTONOMY

Caterpillar has been investing in autonomous technology for more than 30 years, and in 2024, Caterpillar celebrated 10 years of autonomous operations with over 630 large mining trucks running worldwide. From 1994 to 1995, Caterpillar ran the first two prototype Cat 77C autonomous mining trucks at a Texas limestone quarry. Most recently, we implemented autonomous solutions scaled to serve the quarry and aggregate industry.

9 LEADING ENERGY TRANSITION SOLUTIONS

From ACERT™ technology unveiled in 2001 to the Cat D7E with electric drive technology, introduced in 2009, to today’s broad range of diverse products, services and technologies, Caterpillar is focused on helping our customers build a better world.

10 CONNECTED ASSETS & DIGITAL INTEGRATION

By 2024, Caterpillar had connected over 1.5 million machines and engines
worldwide, enabling our support teams to use data to offer valuable insights
to our customers.