Operations and summary of significant accounting policies (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2024 USD ($) country dealer distributor	Dec. 31, 2023 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2022 USD ($)
Operations and summary of significant accounting policies
Number of countries served by dealers | country	187
Percentage of value of inventories on the LIFO basis to total inventories	65.00%	65.00%
Incremental value of inventory if FIFO method had been in use | $	$ 3,864	$ 3,423
Consolidated depreciation expense | $	1,983	1,929	$ 1,937
Financial Products
Operations and summary of significant accounting policies
Depreciation on equipment leased to others | $	$ 722	$ 713	$ 718
Inside United States
Operations and summary of significant accounting policies
Number of dealers | dealer	41
Countries Outside United States
Operations and summary of significant accounting policies
Number of dealers | dealer	111
Perkins
Operations and summary of significant accounting policies
Number of countries where distributors are located | country	185
Number of distributors | distributor	88
FG Wilson
Operations and summary of significant accounting policies
Number of countries where distributors are located | country	158
Number of distributors | distributor	108
Maximum
Operations and summary of significant accounting policies
Maximum amortizable period of purchased intangibles (in years)	20 years