Crawler Crane
The mobile crawler crane is specific crane made with either a telescopic boom or a lattice boom. These move upon the crawlers tracks. As this crane is self-propelled, it can move around certain work locations without the need for much set up. Due to their enormous weight and size, crawler cranes are fairly pricey and even hard to transport from one location to another. The crawler's tracks provide the equipment stability and allow the crane to work without using outriggers, however, there are some units that do utilize outriggers. Also, the tracks provide the movement of the machinery.
Early Mobile Cranes
The very first mobile cranes were initially mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines that were particularly made for the project. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction industry as well as the agricultural business. Not long after, the crawler tracks were adopted by excavators 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
Around the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer within the USA, mounted its very 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 middle part of the 1920s, crawler tracks had become the chosen means of traction for heavy crane uses.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Charles and Ray Moore of Chicago, Illinois was among the first attempts to copy the rails for cranes. Made within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a wheel-mounted, steam-powered, 15 ton crane. During the year 1925, a company known as Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the tracked crane's marketability and potential. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers to be able to manufacture it and go into business.