Late last week, an American customer reached out with an interesting question: Would I be willing to inspect a Cat 963K track loader in France that wasn’t EPA or CE certified? I looked at my schedule and wasn’t too busy— so the answer was clear. I was going.
The machine was located in Grenoble, which immediately launched me into the usual travel-research rabbit hole. My first thought was to fly directly into Grenoble, but that airport operates almost solely for winter ski travelers — not exactly convenient for a last-minute business trip.
Next option: Lyon. Plenty of flights from Amsterdam, but all on mainline carriers, all asking jaw-dropping prices. Even economy seats were north of €800 for a short hop. No thanks.
Widening the search a bit, I realized something surprising: Geneva was roughly the same distance from Grenoble as Lyon, yet flights were far more reasonable. A quick check showed good timings from Amsterdam — and even with the inevitable low-cost add-ons for a proper seat and priority boarding, the total came to a much friendlier €275. Perfect. I found a good Hertz rental deal and booked a hotel in Grenoble for a fair price. Trip confirmed.
A Rocky Start
After a full workday and dinner at home, I headed to the airport for my 20:35 flight to Geneva. Unfortunately, it left 45 minutes late — not exactly the smooth start I was hoping for.
Upon arrival in Geneva, I picked up my car keys at the rental desk and hopped on the shuttle to the garage. That’s when the treasure hunt began. The parking spot number I was given was wrong, and the Hertz staff had already clocked out for the night at 23:00. After some wandering around the dark garage, I eventually found the correct car and began the 150 km drive to Grenoble.
I reached the hotel at 00:45, only to discover that everything was already closed — and the minibar contained no beer. Just my luck.
The Inspection
After a solid night’s sleep and some breakfast, I made the short ten-minute drive to the Caterpillar logistics platform where the 963K was stored. Because the machine lacked CE certification, it had been kept off to the side, roped off together with a 953K in the same situation.
The staff on site were extremely friendly and offered to operate the machine out so I could film it working. Naturally, I accepted — and captured a great video of the loader in action.
Once the demo was done, I took a closer look around the machine. The condition was excellent: almost no noticeable wear, a near-new undercarriage, a clean cab, and no active codes. The only minor issue was a bit of dirt in the engine compartment, which will need cleaning before shipping overseas — nothing serious.
With the inspection wrapped up and everything checking out beautifully, I felt confident confirming the machine for the customer.
A Quick Yard Tour
Before leaving, I asked if I could take a short walk around the yard. They were more than happy to show me around. The location is truly stunning — mountains in every direction, and for someone from the Netherlands, even the “small” hills feel impressive.
They also have their own rail line on site, used to load machines from the Grenoble factory onto trains bound for the port of Antwerp, from where they’re shipped worldwide. A fascinating operation to see up close.
What started as a simple machine inspection turned into a memorable trip — complete with travel challenges, beautiful scenery, and a very solid Cat 963K ready for a new life across the Seas. If only I’d found that beer….
