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cat trucks

Started by snowstorm, February 29, 2016, 07:17:00 PM

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snowstorm

i just read they are done building trucks. international was building them for cat until cat ended that a few months ago. cat was going to build there own. there are a few cat trucks around here. they were an ih paystar with a ih motor and a cat decal

ScottAR

I sort of wonder if the truck line was just a way to show their auto transmission.  I have given up trying to figure out why large companies think the way they do.  Just a theory.  I wonder if we will see any other trucks with the Cat auto.
Scott
"There is much that I need to do, even more that I want to do, and even less that I can do."
[Magicman]

Loghauler86

I am a huge pre-emissions cat truck engine fan. However I think the Cat truck was a huge flop. A company as huge as Cat should have been ahead of the 8 ball on the emissions. They should have been able to produce a compliant engine for truck manufacturers.  Why would a die hard Cat buy a international with a DAF engine and Cummins after treatment system with a Cat sticker on it? I think it could of worked with a true Cat engine and not such a hodgepodge thrown together truck.

goober

a cat dealer told me that they built a factory in mexico to build their trucks.
lt15 woodmizergo case 480 lbh 574 ih tractor   ih-4500a forklift  woodmaxx chipper saxdolmer saws

Gearbox

We had a couple around here in the woods and they couldn't keep them put of the shop . The engine was a joint venture with IH useing the old C15 platform . IH couldn't make it work and scraped it befor they brought it to market .
A bunch of chainsaws a BT6870 processer , TC 5 International track skidder and not near enough time

Adrian lucas

Cat trucks were also a failure in Australia same reason could not keep them on the road always little things apart from turbo`s
summer cutter

Ford_man

Other company's have had some offbeat adventures as well. Several years ago John Deere built Motor homes, I don't remember what year, they built them for 2 yrs I think. 

CTL logger

Quote from: Ford_man on March 01, 2016, 08:11:27 PM
Other company's have had some offbeat adventures as well. Several years ago John Deere built Motor homes, I don't remember what year, they built them for 2 yrs I think.

I believe this was in 87 I was in  Moline, IL at the harvester works that fall for John Deere 150 th anniversary then we went to De Moines to the tractor factory and I belive they built winnebago chassis along side tractors no bodies just the chassis. Best vacation  ever I was 13.

low_48

Fairly certain there was no connection between the Caterpillar C15 and that engine in the vocational truck, except for the size. Pure Navistar. We might have cast some blocks, but I don't think so. I was the lead modelmaker in Cat Industrial Design before retiring 2 years ago. Our designers did the work on this project when I was there. All we had was the transmission, front bumper, hood, fenders, grill, and cab interior. Navistar had all their eggs in the EGR basket for emissions. Never could get it working, paid huge fines for each engine sold, until they could not do that any longer. Then they went to Cummins for their engines, and Cummins said no way were they going to sell an engine to go into a Cat truck. The new plant they were going to use was in Victoria, Texas, Navistar was building them in Escobedo, Mexico. They build excavators there now. High fuel consumption, low profit, huge warranty costs on the ACERT engines, and numerous lawsuits and class action suits on the ACERT were just a few of the reasons they got out of over the road engines. The giant factory buildings that used to machine and assemble those engines in Mossville, Il are basically shells. All that machinery was being cut up and taken out as scrap the last few years I was working. Month after month, lines of trucks full of steel went out of there. There were two buildings there, nearly 40 acres under roof, now basically empty. The dealers can't be too happy either, since they had to build independent buildings to service and sell the trucks. Caterpillar ducked out of the Ag market a few years ago as well. They also heavily invested ($7.6 billion) in Bucyrus Mining just a few years ago, and manufacturing and research divisions in China. Both those markets are basically dead right now. It's going to take a number of years before they start to pay off. They provided a wonderful life for me, my older brother, and our Father during WWII. Our families are what they are from our jobs there. But I like to say the company went down the wrong road when they took the word Tractor out of our name. We went from making tractors to money when that happened.

711ac

Quote from: low_48 on March 01, 2016, 09:45:30 PM
But I like to say the company went down the wrong road when they took the word Tractor out of our name. We went from making tractors to money when that happened.

Don't forget to credit the idiots at the EPA! It's a sham, oops, I mean shame!

low_48

Quote from: 711ac on March 03, 2016, 09:37:04 PM
Quote from: low_48 on March 01, 2016, 09:45:30 PM
But I like to say the company went down the wrong road when they took the word Tractor out of our name. We went from making tractors to money when that happened.

Don't forget to credit the idiots at the EPA! It's a sham, oops, I mean shame!

Imagine my confusion. I worked at Caterpillar for 30 years, and I had no idea the EPA was helping Caterpillar make corporate decisions on vocational truck marketing!

711ac

I understood that (emissions) was the reason, or a big part of why they left the truck engine market.
Is this wrong?

low_48

Understood from whom? Caterpillar used that as one of the reasons in press releases. But from my previous post; High fuel consumption, low profit, huge warranty costs on the ACERT engines, and numerous lawsuits and class action suits on the ACERT were just a few of the reasons they got out of over the road engines   From that list, low profit was the biggest reason. Engineers used to joke, "We're losing money on every single engine we sell, but we are making it up with volume." Now those are just my opinions based on my work experiences and discussions with other engine engineers in the company.

snowstorm

i know someone that had 25 acert cats running over the road. they didnt keep them long or keep them running for long

Loghauler86

I'm just disgusted with the EPA for creating these ridiculous standards. I don't blame cat for getting out of the market. There's no point in being in business if you can't make money at it. Good job EPA for killing all those jobs and a American tradition.

711ac

+1 That's pretty much what I was trying to say. low_48, you took something out of it I did not mean. ;)

Gearbox

If volkswagon can make a clean diesel every one should be able to LOL
A bunch of chainsaws a BT6870 processer , TC 5 International track skidder and not near enough time

low_48

Lots of trucks still on the highway. EPA didn't stop Cummins, Volvo, PACCAR, Mercedes, etc... Caterpillar could have met emission standards too. They just didn't project any/or enough profit since they weren't making any profit on what they were making at the time. EPA didn't kill those jobs, Caterpillar killed them. EPA didn't kill jobs making Caterpillar move jobs from Illinois to Mexico. There used to be nearly 12,000 manufacturing jobs in East Peoria. The entire city locked up at shift change. I can't find current numbers, but there is a COSTCO where employee parking used to be. A hotel where corporate headquarters used to be. And a whole new strip mall where factories used to be. It's now called the Levee District, used to be called Caterpillar Tractor Company. They just announced the closing of building HH. It was named that because they made Holt Harvesters in there. That was the first place I worked in 1974. Talk about killing American tradition! Speaking of tradition, read what Caterpillar does with the profit on parts sold in Europe by using a Swiss affiliate. Dodged paying about $2.4 billion in taxes in America. Now that is tradition, corporations dodging paying taxes!
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/03/31/caterpillar-dodged-paying-24-billion-in-taxes-senate-report.html

OH logger

Quote from: low_48 on March 05, 2016, 11:57:49 PM
Lots of trucks still on the highway. EPA didn't stop Cummins, Volvo, PACCAR, Mercedes, etc... Caterpillar could have met emission standards too. They just didn't project any/or enough profit since they weren't making any profit on what they were making at the time. EPA didn't kill those jobs, Caterpillar killed them. EPA didn't kill jobs making Caterpillar move jobs from Illinois to Mexico. There used to be nearly 12,000 manufacturing jobs in East Peoria. The entire city locked up at shift change. I can't find current numbers, but there is a COSTCO where employee parking used to be. A hotel where corporate headquarters used to be. And a whole new strip mall where factories used to be. It's now called the Levee District, used to be called Caterpillar Tractor Company. They just announced the closing of building HH. It was named that because they made Holt Harvesters in there. That was the first place I worked in 1974. Talk about killing American tradition! Speaking of tradition, read what Caterpillar does with the profit on parts sold in Europe by using a Swiss affiliate. Dodged paying about $2.4 billion in taxes in America. Now that is tradition, corporations dodging paying taxes!
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/03/31/caterpillar-dodged-paying-24-billion-in-taxes-senate-report.html
I guess i'll bite. what would you do with those taxes if it were you? do you pay every bit of taxes you can to watch uncle sam squander it?? me too :) I understand there is such a thing as corporate greed but it does get frustrating that we have a ton of waste in the government AND some of the highest corporate taxes in the world.
john

Loghauler86

I understand where you are coming from seeing the exodus from Peoria. I hate to see it as well. I do still blame the EPA and the federal government for the over regulated and over taxed state of our nation. They have made a very hostile business environment here. Believe me I don't even know the least about what a large company goes through with compliance. Just knowing the headaches that the government creates for our small company I could only imagine what a huge company like Cat goes through. As far as the taxes I can't blame them. When all you here from certain politicians is how the rich and corporations should be taxed for all they are worth. I wouldn't just hand it over either. If a manufacturer moves somewhere with low regulations and taxes I don't blame them. As far as labor is concerned I don't think the hourly wages is why they are leaving. Things like the cost of healthcare for employees is making it difficult. Believe me I agree with most of what you stated low48. I still look for what is made in America or the most in America when buying something. I hate to see companies move out. The government needs to change its attitude or this is going to continue.

low_48

As far as I am concerned, the federal agencies that regulate the environment and food are some of the most important agencies we have. We let companies do what they wanted to do with waste before. You know, the days when rivers caught fire!
We had to take classes at Caterpillar so we all understood how to be good employees. Some every year, some every 3. These classes covered subjects like ethics, compliance to laws and regulations, reporting non-compliance, employee interactions, and a nearly endless list. It just felt odd to read situations like the tax shelter deal right after taking some of those classes. Just like it felt odd to get a $5,000 bonus when the CEO got a $12,000,000 one. I worked there for the stability for my family. It was a career of mental conflict from nearly day one.

OH logger

 Just like it felt odd to get a $5,000 bonus when the CEO got a $12,000,000 one.




the $5,000 dollar bonus sounds a lot better than none ;)
john

Gary_C

Quote from: Loghauler86 on March 06, 2016, 07:31:53 AM
As far as the taxes I can't blame them.       If a manufacturer moves somewhere with low regulations and taxes I don't blame them.

You must not have read the story that was posted. Cat did not move any operations to Switzerland to avoid paying taxes. They just moved the accounting.

There are no Caterpillar parts manufacturing, warehousing, or distribution facilities in Switzerland. There are 8,300 Caterpillar parts employees worldwide—only about 65 work in Switzerland.
Yet, the committee report said, from 2000 to 2012—Caterpillar booked more than 85 percent of the profits from the parts division on its books in Switzerland.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

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