Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific type of mobile crane which is offered with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom which moves upon crawler tracks. As this unit is a self-propelled crane, it is capable of moving around a jobsite and accomplishing tasks without much set-up. Due to their huge weight and size, crawler cranes are fairly pricey and even hard to transport from one site to another. The crawler's tracks offer stability to the equipment and allow the crane to work without using outriggers, however, there are some models which do utilize outriggers. As well, 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 which were specifically made for the project. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the agricultural industry and 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 manufacturers of cranes decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane company within 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 uses.
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 15 ton, steam-powered, wheel-mounted crane. In 1925, a company known as Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the tracked crane's potential and marketability. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers to be able to produce it and go into business.