Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific type of mobile crane which is offered with either a telescopic boom or a lattice boom which moves upon crawler tracks. Since this model is a self-propelled crane, it is capable of moving around a jobsite and completing jobs without a lot of set-up. Due to their huge size and weight, crawler cranes are rather expensive and even hard to transport from one location to another. The crawler's tracks provide stability to the machinery and enable the crane to work without using outriggers, however, there are some units that do use outriggers. As well, the tracks provide the movement of the machine.
Early Mobile Cranes
The 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 evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction business and the agricultural business. Not long after, the crawler tracks were adopted by excavators 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
Around the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane company in the United States, mounted its first crane on crawler tracks. It described the new equipment 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. Made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, steam-powered, wheel-mounted crane. During 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 to be able to manufacture it and go into business.