Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific type of mobile crane which is available with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom that moves upon crawler tracks. Since this model is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and completing jobs without much set-up. Because of their huge size and weight, crawler cranes are rather costly and even difficult to transport from one location to another. The crawler's tracks provide the equipment stability and allow the crane to work without using outriggers, although, there are some units that do utilize outriggers. Additionally, the tracks provide the machine's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
Initially, the very first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specifically built short rail lines. When 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 industry. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further featured 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
Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer within the USA, was the very first to mount its crane on crawler tracks during the 1920s. It described the new machinery as a "locomotive crane, independent of tracks and moveable under its own power." By the middle part of the 1920s, crawler tracks had become the preferred means of traction for heavy crane operations.
The Speedcrane
Developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was among the first to attempt to copy rail lines for cranes. Made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a wheel-mounted, steam-powered, 15 ton crane. During the year 1925, a company called 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 in order to manufacture it and go into business.