Crawler Crane
The mobile crawler crane is particular crane designed with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom. These move upon the crawlers tracks. Since this crane is self-propelled, it can move around particular work locations without the need for a lot of set up. Due to their huge weight and size, crawler cranes are are difficult to transport from one site to another and are rather expensive. The crawler's tracks provide stability to the equipment 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 machine's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
Originally, the first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specially built short rail lines. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction industry and the agricultural business. Not long after, the crawler tracks were adopted by excavators and this further featured the versatility of the equipment. It was not long after when crane companies decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer in the United States, 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 mid-1920s, crawler tracks had become the preferred means of traction for heavy crane operations.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Ray and Charles 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 1925, a company referred to as 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 so as to produce it and go into business.