10-4 Magazine August 2023

10-4 Magazine / August 2023 13 eyes on it, and from that moment on, we knew it was destined to be on our cover. Heading to Placerville in early July, we had the privilege of spending two full days and nights with these nice folks. We did the photo shoot at their proper ty in Placerville, which used to be their main shop, until they moved it to Cameron Park, about ten minutes down the road. To our surprise, we realized the Placerville location is now known as the “museum” or antique yard, where all their antique trucks and tractors are built and stored. And we were absolutely blown away by their massive collection, which includes mostly super rare and one-off pieces. Focusing primarily on early models of C.L. Best and Holt tractors from the early 1900s, the collection then goes on to include a plethora of early Caterpillar tractors, and a whole lot more. C.L. Best and Holt were bitter rivals in California, and after years of legal battles over various contractual, trademark, and patent infringement lawsuits, the two companies merged in 1925 to form the Caterpillar Tractor Company in an effor t to keep them both from going broke. Re-branding their existing products with the Caterpillar name, they continued to build both company’s existing tractors and equipment, until 1927, when they finally introduced their first fully designed and built tractor – the Caterpillar 20. As luck would have it – for real – Matt Veerkamp has the first Caterpillar tractor ever made in their possession at the museum. Brandishing the serial number EXP 0000-L, the “Expo Twenty” was built about a year before production was set to begin to be displayed at county fairs and other public exhibitions. This rare machine, built in San Leandro, CA in 1926, featured custom white paint with nickel plated and polished brass touches (Caterpillar switched from gray paint with a red logo to their signature yellow color in 1931). This tractor is the real deal, and the pride of their collection. But don’t think it ends there. They currently have over 50 fully restored pieces in the antique shop, along with about 30 runners outside, in various states of restoration, and well over 100 pieces in the boneyard, some of which would make awesome projects, as well. They also have five restored log trucks from the late 1940s and early 1950s, in honor of Doug’s family heritage. Everyone loves the old tractors, but they are Matt’s passion. He was the one that took the collection to the next level. He loves to get out there and work on them when he can, but that isn’t very often anymore. For years, a man by the name of Jim Chapman did most of the restoration work and ran the antique shop, but sadly Jim passed away at 80 years old in November 2022 from cancer. Over the past few years, Brandon has become one of the main restoration guys, along with Shawn Stover. Matt scours the entire country looking for these antique gems, which are getting harder and harder to find. It would be fruitless to try and describe their impressive collection here in detail, but I will just say this, if you ever get a chance to see it, take it! Building the “stellar” service truck was a huge under taking that required many people to step up and get stuff done. Doug and Matt both wanted to thank Brandon for leading the project, along with much help from Shawn Stover, Scott Rutz, Mike Poderick, Adam Minor, and Kyle Carey. Some companies that also deserve special recognition include Stellar Industries, Cour tland Truck Works, Dobbs Peterbilt, Rack-It Truck Racks, G&O Body Shop, Shawn Patterson Upholstery, and Soundoff Signal (for the lights). Thanks to Big Rig Chrome Shop in Oshkosh, WI for helping Brandon find all the accessories he wanted and needed. Brandon is now installing all the necessary hose reels, the vice, and filling all