Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific type of mobile crane that is available with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom which moves upon crawler tracks. Because this model is a self-propelled crane, it is capable of moving around a jobsite and completing tasks without much set-up. Due to their huge size and weight, crawler cranes are are hard to transport from one location to another and are rather expensive. The crawler's tracks provide stability to the machine and allow the crane to work without the use of outriggers, however, there are several models that do utilize outriggers. Moreover, the tracks provide the equipment's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
The very first mobile cranes were initially mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines that were specifically constructed for the project. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the agricultural business and the construction industry. Not long after, the crawler tracks were adopted by excavators and this further featured the machine's versatility. It was not long after when crane companies decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The First Crawler Crane
Around the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer within 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 middle part of the 1920s, crawler tracks had become the chosen means of traction for heavy crane uses.
The Speedcrane
Developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was among the first to attempt to replicate rail lines for cranes. Made within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a steam-powered, wheel-mounted, 15 ton 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 so as to manufacture it and go into business.