Historical Archives | Caterpillar's First Diesel Engine

May 22, 2023

History of Caterpillar“Small class”

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In the history of Caterpillar，

There is an engine with far-reaching significance.

And change that entire industry.，

TAWho is it？

TAYes“Old Betsy”

“Old Betsy”Nickname for Caterpillar's first hand-built prototype diesel engine。1931，“Old Betsy”—— CAT®（Carter）DThe birth of the 9900 changed Caterpillar and the industry almost overnight.，It represents Caterpillar's initial energy transformation.——Transition from Gasoline to Diesel Power。

In fact，AtBenjamin HoltAndC.L. BestBefore deciding to merge the two companies to form Caterpillar Inc.，The two men have begun to study the feasibility of assembling diesel engines in earth-moving machinery.。1915，BestNow, in San Francisco,“The World Exposition”After，The idea of carrying diesel engines on Bulldozers came into being.。

A bold innovation.

“Old Betsy”Research and development began in 1927.。Even in the special period of the 1930s.，The head of Caterpillar has also insisted on investing in diesel technology.，Continued investment in diesel technology，Because they realize that diesel engines are superior to gasoline engines.。Diesel engines produce more output torques，More fuel-efficient at the same time。

The engine was assembled in June 1930 in San Leandro, California.，Serial number 1A14，After more than 16 months of testing,，At the end of 1931, it was recognized that it could be put into production formally.。

Initially，“Old Betsy”Primarily provides power for Caterpillar dozers。October 1931，Caterpillar Begins Production of First Tractor Model with Diesel Engine——“Cat Diesel 60”Bulldozer。Mid-1930s，Caterpillar Becomes World's Largest Diesel Engine Manufacturer，Diesel technology also became the backbone of the company's business at that time.。

1973，“Old Betsy”After being repaired and subjected to a series of rigorous emission tests,，Was donated to the Smithsonian American History Museum.。Because the product design is very forward-looking.，So even 40 years after its birth,，“Old Betsy”And still nearly meet the 1973 emission standard。