Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a particular 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 is capable of moving around a jobsite and accomplishing jobs without much set-up. Due to their enormous weight and size, crawler cranes are rather costly and even difficult to transport from one site to another. The crawler's tracks offer the equipment stability and enable the crane to work without the use of outriggers, however, there are several models that do utilize outriggers. What's more, the tracks provide the movement of the machinery.
Early Mobile Cranes
Initially, the first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specifically made short rail lines. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction business and the agricultural industry. Not long after, the crawler tracks were adopted by excavators and this further featured the machine's versatility. It was not long after when manufacturers of cranes decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane company in the United States, was the very first to mount its crane on crawler tracks during the 1920s. It described the new machine as a "locomotive crane, independent of tracks and moveable under its own power." By the mid-1920s, crawler tracks had become the preferred means of traction for heavy crane operations.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois was one of the first attempts to copy the rails for cranes. Manufactured within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a steam-powered, wheel-mounted, 15 ton crane. In the year 1925, a company known 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 to be able to produce it and go into business.