Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a particular kind of mobile crane that is offered with either a telescopic boom or a lattice boom that moves upon crawler tracks. As this model is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and accomplishing jobs without a lot of set-up. Because of their enormous weight and size, crawler cranes are are hard to transport from one site to another and are fairly pricey. The crawler's tracks offer stability to the machine and enable the crane to work without using outriggers, however, there are several units that do utilize outriggers. Moreover, the tracks provide the equipment's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
The first mobile cranes were initially mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines that were specifically built for the project. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed 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 when crane manufacturers decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The First Crawler Crane
In the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer in the USA, mounted its very first crane on crawler tracks. It described the new machinery 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 preferred means of traction for heavy crane uses.
The Speedcrane
Developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was among the first to attempt to replicate rail lines for cranes. Made within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, steam-powered, wheel-mounted crane. During the year 1925, a company referred to as Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the tracked crane's potential and marketability. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers in order to manufacture it and go into business.