Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific type of mobile crane that is offered with either a telescopic boom or a lattice boom which moves upon crawler tracks. Since this unit is a self-propelled crane, it is capable of moving around a jobsite and accomplishing tasks without much set-up. Because of their huge weight and size, crawler cranes are are hard to transport from one place to another and are fairly pricey. The crawler's tracks provide stability to the machine and enable the crane to function without the use of outriggers, however, there are some units which do use outriggers. What's more, the tracks provide the equipment's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
Originally, the very first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specifically built short rail lines. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the agricultural business and the construction business. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further showcased the equipment's versatility. It was not long after before crane manufacturers decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane company in the USA, was the first to mount its crane on crawler tracks in the 1920s. It described the new machine as a "locomotive crane, independent of tracks and moveable under its own power." By the middle part of the 1920s, crawler tracks had become the chosen means of traction for heavy crane operations.
The Speedcrane
Developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was among the first to attempt to copy rail lines for cranes. Made within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, steam-powered, wheel-mounted crane. In the year 1925, a company called 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 so as to manufacture it and go into business.