Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific kind of mobile crane which is offered with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom that 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. Because of their enormous size and weight, crawler cranes are are hard to transport from one place to another and are rather expensive. The crawler's tracks offer the machinery stability and allow the crane to function without utilizing outriggers, although, there are several models that do use outriggers. Moreover, the tracks provide the equipment's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
Originally, the very first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specifically built short rail lines. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction industry as well as the agricultural industry. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further showcased the machine's versatility. It was not long after before manufacturers of cranes decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very 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 chosen means of traction for heavy crane uses.
The Speedcrane
Developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was one of the first to attempt to replicate rail lines for cranes. Made within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a steam-powered, wheel-mounted, 15 ton crane. In 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 so as to produce it and go into business.