Caterpillar offers customers an impressive array of industry leading off-highway trucks – and it all started with the Cat® 769 Off-Highway Truck, introduced 50 years ago.
After seven years of research and development, Caterpillar announced production of the first 769 Off-Highway Truck on December 31, 1962. The 769 made its first public appearance at the Construction Equipment Exposition and Road Show in the Chicago Amphitheater on February 23, 1963. Customers saw firsthand Caterpillar’s answer to some of their biggest concerns – it performed better, ran faster, hauled more, operated more safely and lasted longer than any truck in the marketplace. It was 100 percent designed by one company, and it was supported by a world-class distribution system.
The 769 was a 35-ton, 23.3-cubic-yard capacity rear dump with a top speed of 41.5 miles per hour. It featured a better payload-to-deadweight ratio, Ackerman steering for improved maneuverability and a deck service area to promote easier routine operational maintenance and service. Inside the truck was a D343 diesel engine that was also used in the 630B and 631B Wheel Tractor-Scrapers.
On May 28, 1963, Caterpillar shipped the first production 769 Off-Highway Truck to Carter Machinery Co. in Salem, Va. Within the first five years, Caterpillar built over 1,200 off-highway trucks.
To commemorate this anniversary, the Caterpillar Visitors Center recently opened a new display in its Heritage Gallery which features off-highway truck scale models that showcase the product’s expansive history.
