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 unit is a self-propelled crane, it is capable of moving around a jobsite and accomplishing jobs without a lot of set-up. Due to their enormous size and weight, crawler cranes are fairly expensive and even difficult to transport from one site to another. The crawler's tracks provide stability to the equipment and enable the crane to function without utilizing outriggers, although, there are some models which do use outriggers. Additionally, the tracks provide the machine's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
Initially, the first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specifically built short rail lines. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction industry as well as the agricultural industry. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further showcased the versatility of the machine. It was not long after before manufacturers of cranes decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The First Crawler Crane
In the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane company in the USA, mounted its 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 preferred means of traction for heavy crane uses.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Charles and Ray Moore of Chicago, Illinois was one of the first attempts to replicate the rails for cranes. Made within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, steam-powered, wheel-mounted crane. During 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.