Tracing its roots back to brothers Vern and Wilbur Schield’s original prototype manufactured in 1946, the Bantam, or more properly the model C-35 cable excavator, was an astonishingly popular machine by the standard of the day selling over 15,000 units. This figure is even more remarkable when one considers the amount of competition...
After years of planning and testing in secrecy, Caterpillar finally unveiled its first hydraulic excavator a fair bit later than a lot of the competition. By Richard Campbell
Caterpillar’s first hydraulic excavator, the model 225, was launched in 1972 after a lengthy testing period.
Caterpillar was quite a late entrant into the...
