I think it’s clearly established by now that I enjoy playing with big machines.  So when I was passing through Peoria, Illinois, the home of Caterpillar, of course I had to stop in for a look.  I don’t remember if I heard how old this visitor center is, but it certainly looks like it was opened just recently, and is well designed, fun, and interactive.  It’s located just a block away from the Illinios River, where there’s a very nice park and restaurants.

The tour is self-guided, although there are staff members along the way, always available to answer questions — these people seem to be mostly retirees, who have a wonderful understanding of the company.  The first part of the tour is a movie about the company, and is rather fun, as it’s shown in the bed of the (mock-up) biggest mining truck, and the seats vibrate with the movement of the trucks in the film.  Climbing down from the truck, you enter into a room that explains the history of the company.  Did you know that the first Caterpillar machines were grey and red, not the iconic Caterpillar yellow that they are today?  And yes, the name of the company comes from a comment made by someone when they saw the first machines, saying that they moved like a caterpillar.

After the history section, you walk through a series of rooms that explain different aspects of how the machines are designed and built.  For example, I learned that someone has the job of making detailed scale models of all new machines to test the design concepts.  Yes, this man builds and plays with toy trucks all day.  Where do I apply for this job?!?!

Of course the majority of Caterpillar machines are used for construction, mining, and general earth moving, so it’s important that the designers understand the materials they work with.

Drivers spend a lot of time in the machines, so they pay quite a bit of attention to making the seats and controls as comfortable and ergonomic as possible.  The picture below is a pressure map of me sitting in a driver’s seat, with my bum on the left and my back on the right.  Hm… it seems that I weigh less than the construction drivers these seats are made to accommodate… and I had a stiff pamphlet in my back pocket, which caused the red pressure point.  Kinda cool.

I was a bit surprised that there wasn’t more information about the engines used, but they did have these nice cut-away ones on display so that I could see how it all goes together.  One the things that the Caterpillar company prides itself on is its ability to deliver replacement parts to anywhere in the world on short notice, even to Antarctica!  They know that even a short period of inactivity can cost their customers thousands of dollars.

Since these machines frequently operate in harsh and dusty environments, they often need robust air filtration systems, and there was a nice cut-away model of that as well.

But of course, the best part of the tour was at the end when they let you climb on the big machines!  The largest mining truck available is the 797F, and look at the size of it!  I was told that the actual truck would be too heavy for the visitor center floor, so only the front is real, the rest is a lighter weight mock-up.  But wow, it’s still impressive!  Yes, those are stairs going diagonally across the front so that the driver can climb up to the cockpit.

Just for fun, here are the statistics.

Imagine driving something with wheels this big!  I wonder if they ever get a flat tire??  What kind of tire pressure do you need when the truck is carrying its maximum capacity of four tons?

The rest of the machines there were of a more rational size, though still large, and fun to climb all over.

The cockpit of this bucket loader was relatively straightforward and mechanical.

In contrast to the bucket loader, the grader’s cockpit had a lot more electronics.

There’s always room for a cup holder though…

Here are some numbers for the largest machines, not shown at the visitor center, unfortunately.

There was a nice simulation section in the corner where you could learn to operate the various machines.  Operator training seemed to be part of the purchase package available to customers.

And because we’re in the US, every large company must sponsor a NASCAR car!

There was also a very cool section on the way out that described innovative technology and projects that Caterpillar was involved with.  In addition to new construction and mining equipment that improved site accessibility and safety, I was very impressed to see this collaborative work with NASA for exploring other planets.  Talk about harsh operating environments!

You don’t actually exit through the gift shop, but there’s one near the exit… with so many cool toys!!!

I had a great time at the Caterpillar visitor center, but only had one minor complaint — it’s informative and fun, but almost too quiet, like a museum.  It’s an odd thing for me to say, but I would have like to hear a bit more noise — maybe some tractor noises in the background??  Vroom vroom!!