Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a particular kind of mobile crane which is available with either a telescopic boom or a lattice boom that moves upon crawler tracks. Because this unit is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and completing jobs without a lot of set-up. Because of their huge size and weight, crawler cranes are are hard to transport from one site to another and are rather pricey. The crawler's tracks provide the equipment stability and enable the crane to work without using outriggers, although, there are several models that do utilize outriggers. In addition, the tracks provide the movement of the equipment.
Early Mobile Cranes
The first mobile cranes were initially mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines that were specifically made for the project. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction industry and the agricultural industry. Not long after, the crawler tracks were adopted by excavators 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
Around the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane company within the United States, mounted its first crane on crawler tracks. 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
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois was among the first attempts to copy the rails for cranes. Manufactured in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, wheel-mounted, steam-powered crane. In 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 produce it and go into business.