Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific type of mobile crane which is available with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom which moves upon crawler tracks. As this unit is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and accomplishing jobs without a lot of 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 provide stability to the machine and allow the crane to work without the use of outriggers, although, there are some units that do utilize outriggers. Furthermore, the tracks provide the movement of the machinery.
Early Mobile Cranes
The very first mobile cranes were initially mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines which were specially constructed for the project. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the agricultural industry as well as the construction industry. Not long after, the crawler tracks were adopted by excavators and this further featured the equipment's versatility. It was not long after before manufacturers of cranes decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The First Crawler Crane
In the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer in the United States, mounted its first crane on crawler tracks. 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 uses.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Charles and Ray Moore of Chicago, Illinois was one of the first attempts to copy the rails for cranes. Made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, wheel-mounted, steam-powered 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 produce it and go into business.