VIDEO: New Cat Trial features historic equipment, futuristic technology, and a nighttime spectacle
To celebrate the company’s centennial, the after-hours display features iconic pieces of equipment from the past 100 years
Caterpillar celebrates its 100th anniversary with the 14th annual Cat trial. The event allows the company to showcase its innovative equipment and talented operators in unique settings while bringing play and surprise to viewers. The after-hours display features some of the most iconic pieces of equipment from the past 100 years.
Cat Trial 14: After Hours brings Cat equipment from the past and present to life in a nighttime spectacle. This visual display demonstrates how the company has stood beside its contractors, day and night, and how it's digging in for the decades to come.
Take a look at Cat Trial 14: After Hours
Demonstrated in the exhibit include relics from the past, like the Holt T-35, a precursor tractor released in 1921 engineered to haul wartime artillery and favoured for its performance in demanding conditions. As well, milestone machines are on display, including the Cat 797B - the company's first 400-ton truck - and the versatile Cat TH1255 telehandler.
Also at the trial is the power loader, an exoskeleton made to bring the prototype from the Aliens movie franchise to life. The novel machine took two and a half years to develop and showcases the company's ability to create futuristic technology. This one-of-a-kind working vehicle, built by Hacksmith Entertainment, combines the real-world application of the small tracked skid-steer loader with a Sci-Fi vision.
Past games at Cat trials
In the past, Cat has featured creative trials to showcase the abilities and versatility of its equipment. In 2020, the company set up a life-sized game of PAC-MAN with remote-controlled skid steers for Cat Trial 12. Operators controlling the equipment included social media influencers, equipment operators, and even a NASCAR driver.
Other trials include life-sized Hot Wheels cars on a dirt playground, excavator Jenga that challenged operators to stack massive wood blocks weighing over 8 tons total, and the autonomous soccer game and obstacle course that pitted a professional footballer against an autonomous mining truck.
New paint colour to celebrate the centennial
Cat will also produce a line of limited edition centennial grey painted machines, represented by the Cat Centennial D3 dozer at the trial. To celebrate a century of business, a range of machines will be available for purchase in this unique colour in 2025.
With the Cat C3.6 engine model, the D3 dozer offers a broad choice of technological features, a fully hydrostatic transmission, and a load- sensing system to optimize ground speed based on load.
