36 years ago, marks the first time that Conexpo visited Las Vegas, Nevada. With Conexpo-Con/Agg 2023 kicking off on March 14 and running until March 18, lets look at the first year it was held in Las Vegas.
This was the sight that greeted visitors to the Hilton Centre, where Caterpillar Inc. filled the 92,000 sq. ft. building with an eye-catching display – the largest of exhibits at Conexpo ’87, with an additional 22,000 sq. ft. outdoors. It was the biggest exposition in the 78-year history of the show, and the most ambitious event of its kind in Las Vegas. Crowd estimates ran as high as 135,000 delegates from 90 nations, all of whom were treated like royalty by Caterpillar personnel and many others. Conexpo ’87 occupied more than 900,000 sq. ft. with 30,000 tons of machines and accessories, shown by 308 exhibitors.
In the six years since Conexpo ’81, Caterpillar’s product line more than doubled, and more than 300 models of machines and engines were available from Caterpillar at the time of Conexpo ’87. Visitors of the tradeshow found 73 Caterpillar products, the most company products ever at a single display. The massive D11N track type tractor was the center of attention at the outdoor display. At the indoor display delegates would see various products including track type tractors, wheel tractor scrapers, wheeled excavators, wheel loaders, excavators, backhoes, motor graders, engines and more, but the show stopper indoors was the new Caterpillar 65 Challenger agriculture tractor with rubber tracks. Some other new products that were introduced by Caterpillar included 3 excavators and 2 backhoes. The E70, EL180, and EL300 were the excavators introduced at Conexpo ’87, and another 6 were introduced later that year.
Caterpillar E70 Excavator
The E70 was the smallest excavator in the Caterpillar line, 6,500 kg (14,300 lbs) and had the longest ground level reach in its class at 20’10” (6.36 meters). It was powered by a direct-injected Mitsubishi 4D31 diesel engine rated at 56 hp (42 kW) at 1,900 rpm. It had a maximum digging depth of 13’ 5” (4.08 meters), with 6 available buckets in capacities from 0.18 – 0.39 cu. Yds. (0.14 – 0.30 cu. Meters)
Caterpillar EL180 Excavator
The EL180 was a 19,800 kg (43,660 lbs) excavator powered by a Caterpillar 3204 diesel engine rated at 118 hp (88 kW) at 1,900 rpm. The EL180 had a maximum ground speed of 2.4 mph (3.8 km). When it was equipped with the 9’6.6” (2.9 meter) stick it had a maximum dig depth of 21’6” (6.55 meters). Bucket capacity ranged from 0.63 – 1.3 cu. Yds. (0.48 – 1.0 cu. Meters)
Caterpillar EL300 Excavator
The EL300 was the largest introduced at Conexpo ’87. It weighed in at 31,600 kg (69,700 lbs) and was powered by a turbocharged Caterpillar 3306 diesel engine rated at 187 hp (140 kW) at 1,750 rpm. The maximum dig depth was 27’4” (8.33 meters), with a maximum ground speed of 2.8 mph (4.5 km). One unique feature of the EL300 was its two-speed travel capability.
Caterpillar 436 Backhoe
The 2 new backhoes that were introduced at Conexpo ’87 was the 428 and the 436. The 436-backhoe competed in the 16’ (4.9 meter) dig depth class and had an operating weight of 6,668 kg (14,700 lbs). Powered by a Perkins 4-236 rated at 77 hp (57.4 kW). It had a 10% larger capacity loader bucket than the 426 model. All wheel drive was an option. The 426 was available to customers for the 1st quarter of 1988.
Caterpillar 428 Backhoe
The 428 model was announced for the European market in 1986, it featured backhoe sideshift and optional all-wheel drive, and was available to the North American market the 4th quarter of 1987. The 428 competed in the 14’ (4.35 meter) dig depth class, with an operating weight of 6,849 kg (15,100 lbs). It was powered by a Perkins 4-236 diesel engine rated at 70 hp (52.2 kW). The sideshift backhoe frame allowed the operator to position the backhoe to either side of center within a 45” (1.14 meter) travel range. The feature provided the operator with a clear view of the trench and allows close digging to foundations.
Caterpillar changed their typical display style for Conexpo ’87, rather than grouping products by size and type of machine in a static display, they showed their products in the applications they served. For example, they put together the types of construction machines that would typically be used in urban construction with paving equipment, a rough terrain life truck, and a Caterpillar generator set. Then they designed the exhibit around them to simulate an urban construction site. This allowed delegates to see Cat products in a familiar setting, with various sizes and combinations to meet their needs.
Other modules focused on the needs of delegates in industries like residential and site development, sand and gravel, paving, power generation, mining and heavy construction, plus certain agricultural and forestry applications.
To meet their objectives Caterpillar started with a clean sheet of paper and worked with a variety of suppliers, headed by Walt Disney Imagineering. Separate modules within the exhibit showcased services such as Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, Caterpillar World Trading Corporation, Custom Machine Products, and because product support was such an important part of the business, like it still it today, a simulated dealer retail store was built into the exhibit to demonstrate those capabilities. In the store visitors could see specialized capabilities and technology that the dealers offered. Caterpillar’s Conexpo ’87 display told a very positive story about the company and the future of Caterpillar. It’s safe to say that this module-based formula worked because it’s still a similar model used today.
Caterpillar also offered customer visits to the Arizona proving grounds outside of Phoenix during Conexpo ’87. If you have ever had the chance to visit the proving grounds, you know that this is an experience all in itself. The half day program featured a full range of Cat products supporting every segment of the earthmoving, paving and material handling industries. Visitors saw small/medium machine demonstrations, a large machine demo and a real-action demonstration of Cat Paving products. Approximately 9,000 guests saw the Phoenix proving grounds during the Conexpo ’87 show.
From March 14-18, Conexpo – Con/Agg 2023 will host 2,800 exhibitors and 150 education sessions, taking up 2.8 million square feet of exhibit space. Caterpillar plans to have a massive presence at Conexpo – Con/Agg 2023. With an outdoor demonstration booth space of approximately 70,000 sq. ft that will house the 30+ machines they plan to have at the show and anchor their massive display known as the operator stadium. The stadium where the winner of the 2023 Cat global operator challenge will get crowned on day 1 of Conexpo – Con/Agg ’23 after competing with finalists from around the world, and where Cat will do daily demonstrations of their latest and greatest equipment and technologies. Visitors can expect to see new models introduced at the booth, and interaction with Caterpillar product specialists. The proving grounds have since moved from Phoenix to South of Tucson, but that’s not stopping Cat from having guests out to the grounds to see some amazing demonstrations just like they did in 1987.
