Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific kind of mobile crane which is offered with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom that moves upon crawler tracks. Because this model is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and completing tasks without a lot of set-up. Because of their huge weight and size, crawler cranes are are difficult to transport from one site to another and are rather costly. The crawler's tracks provide the machine stability and allow the crane to work without utilizing outriggers, however, there are some models which do use outriggers. In addition, the tracks provide the equipment's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
The first mobile cranes were originally mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines that were specifically made for the project. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction business and the agricultural industry. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further featured the machine's versatility. It was not long after before crane companies decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane company within the United States, was the very first to mount its crane on crawler tracks during the 1920s. It described the new machine as a "locomotive crane, independent of tracks and moveable under its own power." By the mid-1920s, crawler tracks had become the chosen means of traction for heavy crane uses.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Charles and Ray Moore of Chicago, Illinois was among the first attempts to replicate the rails for cranes. Manufactured within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a wheel-mounted, steam-powered, 15 ton crane. In 1925, a company referred to as Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the marketability and the potential of the tracked crane. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers in order to manufacture it and go into business.