Caterpillar was formed in 1925 by the merger of the Holt Manufacturing Company and C. L. Best Tractor Company, pioneer builders of the crawler tractor, and was based for most of its history in Peoria, Illinois. From those beginnings the company grew into the world's largest maker of earthmoving machinery, and its equipment has built roads, mines, dams and farms on every continent.

Caterpillar is known for massive durability, standardized design and a vast dealer and parts network. Its product lines include track-type tractors, hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated dump trucks and the giant off-highway haul trucks used in mines, alongside diesel engines and generator sets that power trucks, vessels and industrial sites. The CAT name is shorthand for heavy work done reliably.

Workshop manuals for CAT machines on this page cover diesel engines, torque-converter and powershift transmissions, hydraulic systems, electrical systems and wiring diagrams, torque specifications, electronic diagnostics and scheduled maintenance. Correct documentation matters for high-hour equipment where a small mistake in a hydraulic or drivetrain repair can quickly become a costly failure.

These manuals suit equipment owners and operators, maintenance crews in construction, quarrying and mining, independent heavy-equipment workshops and anyone buying used CAT machines at auction. Restorers of older Caterpillar models also rely on factory literature to return vintage iron to working condition with authentic specifications. Scheduled maintenance information also helps owners protect their investment by keeping filters, fluids and wear items correctly serviced.