Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a particular type of mobile crane that is offered with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom which moves upon crawler tracks. Since this unit is a self-propelled crane, it is capable of moving around a jobsite and completing tasks without much set-up. Due to their enormous size and weight, crawler cranes are rather expensive and even difficult to transport from one location to another. The crawler's tracks provide stability to the machinery and allow the crane to function without the use of outriggers, although, there are some units which do utilize outriggers. As well, the tracks provide the movement of the equipment.
Early Mobile Cranes
The very first mobile cranes were originally mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines that were particularly made for the project. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction industry and the agricultural business. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further featured the versatility of the machine. It was not long after when crane manufacturers 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 very first crane on crawler tracks. It described the new machinery 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 Charles and Ray Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was among the first to attempt to copy rail lines for cranes. Manufactured within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, wheel-mounted, steam-powered crane. During the year 1925, a company called Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the tracked crane's marketability and potential. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers in order to manufacture it and go into business.