Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a particular kind of mobile crane which is available with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom that moves upon crawler tracks. As this model is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and completing jobs without much set-up. Because of their enormous size and weight, crawler cranes are are difficult to transport from one location to another and are rather expensive. The crawler's tracks provide stability to the machine and enable the crane to work without utilizing outriggers, although, there are some models that do use outriggers. What's more, the tracks provide the movement of the equipment.
Early Mobile Cranes
Originally, the first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specifically designed short rail lines. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved 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 showcased the versatility of the machine. It was not long after when manufacturers of cranes decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer in the USA, was the very first to mount its crane on crawler tracks in the 1920s. 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 chosen means of traction for heavy crane operations.
The Speedcrane
Developed by Charles and Ray Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was amongst the first to attempt to replicate rail lines for cranes. Manufactured in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, steam-powered, wheel-mounted crane. In the year 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 in order to produce it and go into business.