History

In 1965, Caterpillar acquired the company Lester started - Towmotor - and formed  Cat® Lift Trucks. 

Over eighty years ago, a man named Lester M. Sears decided it might be a good idea to adapt a farm tractor for industrial use. His ‘Model L’‚ may look a bit funny now, but it was packed with new ideas – and it totally transformed materials handling forever.

Lester’s first truck featured innovations that have become standard in the lift truck industry, including under-the-load front wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, hydraulic lifting and tilting and equal high-speed forward and reverse gears.

In 1965, Caterpillar acquired the company Lester started – Towmotor – and formed Cat Lift Trucks. We share the same commitment to new ideas, practical solutions and legendary reliability (that Model L prototype worked hard for 30 years before finally retiring).

Today, Cat Lift Trucks are manufactured in ISO certified factories located in Japan, USA and the Netherlands. We offer the best-built lift trucks in the business, covering diesel, petrol, LPG and electric counter-balanced units, as well as a complete range of warehouse equipment. Backed by the best dealers in the business – your local Cat lift trucks dealers.

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