Caterpillar displayed a Twenty Tractor originally built in 1927. This tractor was originally built for display, and yes, that is the original color of the display model. It has the distinction of being the first machine wholly designed and built by what was once called Caterpillar Tractor Co. Prior to producing the Expo Twenty, Caterpillar had been manufacturing track-type tractors using the assets and designs of its two predecessor companies, the C.L. Best Tractor Co. and The Holt Manufacturing Company. But when this unit rolled off the assembly line, it received an all-new serial number, EXP 0000-L, and earned a place in company history.
The Expo Twenty, like the company that designed and built it, has a long, interesting history. After serving as a display machine, it was painted yellow and put to work on the Traynham family ranch in California. The Traynhams are direct descendants of C.L. Best, one of the founders and the first chairman of Caterpillar Tractor Co.
Decades later, the machine was sold to the Veerkamp family of Placerville, Calif. Collectors of antique tractors, the Veerkamps began the process of restoring the Expo Twenty in 2007. As they researched the machine, the owners discovered that the inaugural tractor had not been painted with the standard gray and red color scheme, which was typical of Cat products built in the late 1920s. Instead, it had received a unique white paint job featuring black trim with brass- and nickel-plated accents. The Veerkamps not only returned the tractor to its original appearance, but also restored its original purpose. Having come full circle from its days as a show machine, the Expo Twenty is back in the public eye, displayed at antique machine shows throughout the United States where it tells the story of a brand that has endured for generations.
