Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific type of mobile crane which is offered with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom that moves upon crawler tracks. As this model is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and accomplishing tasks without a lot of set-up. Because of their huge weight and size, crawler cranes are rather expensive and even hard to transport from one location to another. The crawler's tracks offer the equipment stability and allow the crane to function without using outriggers, although, there are several units that do use outriggers. Furthermore, the tracks provide the movement of the machinery.
Early Mobile Cranes
The first mobile cranes were initially mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines which were specifically constructed for the project. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the agricultural industry and the construction industry. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further featured the equipment's versatility. It was not long after before manufacturers of cranes decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane company in the United States, was the first to mount its crane on crawler tracks in the 1920s. It described the new equipment as a "locomotive crane, independent of tracks and moveable under its own power." By the mid-1920s, crawler tracks had become the preferred means of traction for heavy crane uses.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois was amongst the first attempts to replicate the rails for cranes. Manufactured in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, steam-powered, wheel-mounted crane. In 1925, a company known as Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the tracked crane's potential and marketability. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers so as to manufacture it and go into business.