5 Cat Tools & Accessories That Will Come In Handy At The Jobsite

If you've ever happened to wander past an active construction site, you've probably seen the distinctive block-letter logo of Caterpillar, better known as Cat. Cat manufactures various heavy-duty vehicles and machinery that you'd see around all kinds of job sites, from excavators to road reclaimers and the engines that go in them. Of course, as cool as heavy machinery is, you can't solve all of life's problems with a backhoe, which is why that's not the only kind of product that Cat offers.

In addition to the heavy-duty stuff, Cat also manufactures and sells a variety of jobsite tools and accessories, some with general-use applications and some with more specific purposes in mind. We're not just talking about power tools here, though Cat does also offer plenty of those, but rather jobsite helpers and fixers, those accessories with seemingly simple uses that the integrity of a job may well end up hinging on. If you're looking for some helpful doodads to keep around while engaged in manual labor, there are some Cat products that could be worth a look.

You'd be surprised how much squatting, leaning, and general lowering of oneself can go into certain kinds of manual labor. Whether you're crouched down to drill a fastener in on a low point of a support beam or stabling yourself on your knees while in a machine shop, quite a bit can happen at a low elevation. Unfortunately, all that squatting and bending is atrocious for your legs and back. If you're looking for a little extra support while you're working on the ground, the Cat Rolling Utility Seat could be of service.

This utility seat utilizes a clever two-part construction. The padded seat is suspended on a four-wheeled mount, allowing you to move your perch point all around the workshop as necessary. The mount comes with a removable two-sided storage tray, giving you a handy spot to stick your tools or water bottle. The interesting part is that if you need to get even lower to the ground, you can remove the seat from the mount and place it on the ground via its own wheels to function as a knee creeper. Both components are reinforced with powder-coated steel for durability, with the creeper alone able to hold up to 220 pounds and the full, assembled seat able to hold 330 pounds.

Few things are more important on the job than good visibility. It's vital that you can see exactly what you're doing at all times, lest you accidentally pound a nail in at a weird angle and have to waste time and energy prying it back out. The best way to ensure good visibility is with a light, but rather than taking up a hand with a traditional flashlight or lugging around a standing light everywhere, you can use a Cat 4-Function Headlamp to your head.

This headlamp mounts firmly to your head with three elastic straps. Tap the power button, and you get a powerful 250-lumen spotlight that can shine up to 40 meters away. Tap the button again, and the light switches to 120 lumens LED flood light, providing you greater illumination for your immediate surroundings. A third tap switches over to a red LED flood light — good for preserving low-light scenarios like a camping trip. There's even a flashing red LED in the rear of the strap to alert anyone nearby to your presence in the dark. With three AAA batteries, you can get up to two hours of runtime with the spotlight and five hours with the flood light.

Life has a tendency to throw random problems at you at rather inopportune moments. You'll never know when exactly you'll need to fix something until it's already broken, and even if you're on the job, there's a chance you won't have the tools you need to fix it readily available. In preparation for such a circumstance, it may be to your benefit to keep something like the Cat 13-in-1 Multi-Tool on your belt, just in case.

This compact tool looks like a pair of long-nose pliers, but it is actually a multi-tool for work or camping. The head functions as long-nosed pliers, regular pliers, and a wire cutter. Within the handles of these pliers hides a multitude of other folding tools. These include a knife, medium and small slotted screwdrivers, a can opener, single and double cut files, a Phillips-head screwdriver, a bottle opener, a serrated knife, and a saw. All of these tools are made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel and housed in a lightweight aluminum chassis. The whole thing is small enough to fit comfortably in a narrow belt pouch, so you can easily carry it around with you.

While most job site tools and materials are built fairly tough, constant exposure to the elements has a way of wearing down almost anything. Whether you have to leave something out overnight or transport it in the uncovered bed of a truck, exposure to things like rain and snow won't do your tools any favors. To protect your vital tools, a thick utility covering like the Cat Woven Utility Blanket might be good to have around.

This 72 x 60-inch woven blanket is designed to provide lasting protection to whatever it's covering. The outer side has a soft covering to repel any physical debris, while the inner side is made of 300D water-resistant polyester, perfect for defending against rain and snow. There's even a recycled cotton fill on the inside for that extra bit of plush security. All of the edges are reinforced, while the corners feature built-in grommets for tying on ropes or ratchets, making it a good choice for covering cargo in the bed of a truck.

The odds are good that the Cat-branded heavy machinery you're using on the job is going to get very dirty after a day of work. Tempting as it is to leave all the crusted-on muck, it would be to your benefit to get all of that off of there. It would take too long to scrub it all off by hand, though, so when the time comes to clean up at the end of the work day, consider putting away the sponges and busting out the Cat Electric Pressure Washer.

This pressure washer features a five-piston pump, allowing it to deliver up to 1,800 PSI of sustained water pressure. The entire system is designed to be simple yet comprehensive, with an all-metal water gun assembly, rubber hose, and maintenance-free motor for ease of use. The washer includes four gun tips for 0, 15, 25, and 40-degree sprays, as well as a 600-milliliter foam blaster bottle for spraying soap. There's also built-in storage for both the hose and gun, so when you're done, it all packs up cleanly.