Celebrating Caterpillar’s 100-Year Anniversary with Special Edition Backhoe

Daracon Group has proudly joined Caterpillar in celebrating their 100-year anniversary, welcoming a limited-edition Cat Centennial Grey Backhoe into its fleet from WesTrac. The new machine is a symbolic addition that reflects both companies shared focus on innovation and reliability.

With over 40 years of civil construction expertise, Daracon operates one of the largest privately-owned fleets of plant and modern machinery in the Southern Hemisphere, and according to Cory Hay, Divisional Manager Plant & Transport at Daracon, Caterpillar’s reputation mirrors the business principles that have guided Daracon throughout the past four decades.

“The Cat brand is synonymous with quality and efficiency, and that’s what we like to model our business upon - quality work, delivered efficiently, on time and on budget,” said Cory.

That alignment has underpinned a relationship stretching back decades, making it particularly fitting to secure one of just 25 commemorative backhoes produced worldwide.

Kyle Morton, Major Accounts Manager at WesTrac, explained, “The battleship grey marks Caterpillar’s original brand colour. This backhoe is number 15 of 25 produced, and we really wanted a customer like Daracon to get one.”

For Jason Jeffries, Plant Manager at Daracon, the acquisition was also a practical choice. “We currently have about 10 backhoes in our fleet, and it came time to renew a couple of them. When the opportunity for a Cat 100-year backhoe came up, we jumped on it.”

The new machine will be put straight to work in the hands of long-term team member, Bruce Woodward. With decades of service at Daracon, Bruce was the natural choice to take the reins, a gesture that recognises his contribution to the company.

“Caterpillar have always been at the forefront of machine development, safety improvements and technology advancements. As the industry evolves, whether it’s through electrification, alternate power sources or autonomy, I’ve no doubt Caterpillar will continue leading the charge,” said Cory.

As Caterpillar celebrates 100 years, Daracon looks forward to building on this partnership into the years ahead, continuing to invest in equipment that supports safe, efficient and reliable project delivery.

Want to see this limited-edition backhoe in action? Check out our latest video and find out more about our plant hire services.