Crawler Crane
The mobile crawler crane is particular crane made with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom. These move upon the crawlers tracks. As this crane is self-propelled, it could move around certain work sites without the need for a lot of set up. Because of their enormous weight and size, crawler cranes are are difficult to transport from one location to another and are rather costly. The crawler's tracks offer the machine stability and enable the crane to function without utilizing outriggers, although, there are several models that do utilize outriggers. Furthermore, the tracks provide the machine's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
Originally, the very first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specially made short rail lines. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the agricultural industry and the construction business. Not long after, the crawler tracks were adopted by excavators and this further featured the equipment's versatility. It was not long after before manufacturers of cranes decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane company within 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 preferred means of traction for heavy crane operations.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Charles and Ray Moore of Chicago, Illinois was among the first attempts to replicate the rails for cranes. Manufactured in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a steam-powered, wheel-mounted, 15 ton crane. In 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 in order to manufacture it and go into business.