Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific kind of mobile crane that is available with either a telescopic boom or a lattice boom that moves upon crawler tracks. Because this model is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and accomplishing jobs without much set-up. Because of their huge size and weight, crawler cranes are rather costly and even hard to transport from one place to another. The crawler's tracks offer stability to the machine and enable the crane to function without utilizing outriggers, although, there are several models which do utilize outriggers. What's more, the tracks provide the movement of the equipment.
Early Mobile Cranes
The first mobile cranes were originally mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines which were particularly constructed for the project. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction industry as well as the agricultural business. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further showcased the versatility of the machinery. It was not long after before crane manufacturers decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane company in the USA, was the very first to mount its crane on crawler tracks during the 1920s. It described the new machinery 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 operations.
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 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a wheel-mounted, steam-powered, 15 ton crane. During the year 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 produce it and go into business.