Air Service for Parts Delivery

Caterpillar has always recognized that a strong, independently owned dealer organization was key to differentiating Cat® products. From its earliest days, the company placed special emphasis on dealers’ ability to provide parts and service support for machines in the field. 

By August 1928, the Caterpillar dealer network was already strong with 82 U.S. dealers and 58 dealers outside of the U.S. Cousins Tractor Co. of Hanford, California - first a C.L. Best dealer and then a Caterpillar dealer from 1914-1971 - found a unique way to support its customers’ machines. 

One great example of this commitment to service started with a customer call to the dealership at 6 a.m. during harvest time. A Holt combine harvester broke down in the field and the customer lived 40 miles from the dealership. The Cousins Tractor Co. made arrangements for airplane service and delivered the parts the customer needed only one hour after the call came in.