Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a particular type of mobile crane which is available with either a telescopic boom or a lattice boom which moves upon crawler tracks. As 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 enormous weight and size, crawler cranes are rather pricey and even difficult to transport from one location to another. The crawler's tracks offer stability to the machinery and allow the crane to work without using outriggers, although, there are some models that do utilize outriggers. In addition, the tracks provide the movement of the machine.
Early Mobile Cranes
Initially, the very first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specifically built short rail lines. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the agricultural business as well as the construction business. 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 Very First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer in the USA, was the first to mount its crane on crawler tracks during the 1920s. It described the new equipment 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 operations.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Charles and Ray Moore of Chicago, Illinois was one of the first attempts to replicate the rails for cranes. Made within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a steam-powered, wheel-mounted, 15 ton crane. During 1925, a company known as Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the potential and the marketability of the tracked crane. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers so as to manufacture it and go into business.