As we saw in the introduction, the Holt Caterpillar Company was founded in 1911. It produced tractors and exported them to Canada, Argentina, and Mexico, gaining much experience which it used during the First World War.
During the war Caterpillar Armored Tractors were used extensively to tow artillery pieces such as howitzers. It wasn’t long before the British Army Engineers saw the potential of using the track driven tractor as an armored tank.
After the war, the depression set in and Holt Caterpillar was forced to sell out to a competitor named Best who scrapped the production of large tractors in favor of smaller agricultural ones. He formed the Caterpillar Company in 1925. All the livery including the engines was painted yellow, distinguishing it from its competitor’s machines.
During this time the engines were developing apace, and during the Second World War found fame once again when their diesel engines became the preferred engine as opposed to a gas (petrol) one.
Since then Caterpillar engines have become world famous. I worked on a couple of 3208 marine diesels over the years, and although they were very basic, I liked them.
They were reliable being easy to strip and repair as there was always plenty of spares around, no matter what part of the world I was working in.
Nowadays spares for the 3208 model are still available from various outlets; some EOL still supply, in fact you need to go there for certain gaskets and valve-stem oil seals and some spares. Facebook has at least four suppliers of reconditioned engines and used and new spares for this engine.
