ENTHUSIASTS of antique Caterpillar machines were recently given a tour of the latest models and the chance to see a rebuild project in action.
The Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club (ACMOC) was welcomed to the Staffordshire HQ of Finning UK & Ireland, to host its annual meeting. Founded in 1991, ACMOC has thousands of members from around the world with an interest in the history of Caterpillar machinery.
Members enjoyed a tour of the Finning site and a display of static machinery including a Cat 395 hydraulic excavator, 770 off-highway truck, D6 and D3 dozers, 14 motor grader, and 986 wheel loader.
Attendees were also able to get hands-on with the machinery in a challenge at the Cat Compact Store supported by Alex Clarke, CDI qualified operator trainer and Graham Knighton, senior machine demonstrator, who is also a member of ACMOC.
Hayley Brown, brand and events marketing manager at Finning UK & Ireland, said, “The group all have a shared passion for Cat machines – old and new. While many of the members are collectors of antique machines, there are current owners and operators in the club too, including Tom Balls from J.C. Balls & Sons.
“During their visit we took the members on a tour around the Cannock site and workshops. As part of this, the visitors were able to see a Cat 345C hydraulic excavator rebuild in action, which the group was impressed to see. Engineers explained the rebuild process and how the machine would then proceed to the final paint stage before being handed over to the customer in early June. This was of particular interest to the group as they were able to see first-hand that Cat machines can be rebuilt to have many new lives.”
ACMOC president Bodie Hunter added, “We are so grateful to Finning for inviting us to host our AGM at the Cannock site and making us all feel so welcome. It was impressive to see the site in action and share this with our members, who are all huge Caterpillar enthusiasts.”
Finning and ACMOC also raised money for charity via a raffle during the visit, splitting the funds raised between East Midlands Air Ambulance and Mind UK.
