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. Because this crane is self-propelled, it can move around certain work sites without the need for a lot of set up. Due to their huge weight and size, crawler cranes are rather pricey and even difficult to transport from one place to another. The crawler's tracks provide the machinery stability and enable the crane to function without the use of outriggers, however, there are several models that do use outriggers. As well, the tracks provide the movement of the equipment.
Early Mobile Cranes
Initially, the very first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specially designed short rail lines. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the agricultural industry and the construction business. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further featured the equipment's versatility. It was not long after when manufacturers of cranes decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very First Crawler Crane
Around the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer in the United States, 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 mid-1920s, crawler tracks had become the preferred means of traction for heavy crane uses.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois was one of the first attempts to replicate the rails for cranes. Made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, wheel-mounted, steam-powered crane. In 1925, a company known 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.