Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific kind of mobile crane that is offered with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom that moves upon crawler tracks. Because this unit is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and completing tasks without a lot of set-up. Due to their huge weight and size, crawler cranes are fairly costly and even difficult 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, however, there are some units which do utilize outriggers. What's more, the tracks provide the movement of the machine.
Early Mobile Cranes
The very first mobile cranes were originally mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines which were specially built for the project. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed 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 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
In the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane company 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 operations.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois was among the first attempts to copy the rails for cranes. Made within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, wheel-mounted, steam-powered crane. In 1925, a company referred to as Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the tracked crane's potential and marketability. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers in order to manufacture it and go into business.