Crawler Crane
The mobile crawler crane is particular crane designed with either a telescopic boom or a lattice boom. These move upon the crawlers tracks. Because this crane is self-propelled, it could move around particular work sites without the need for much set up. Because of their enormous size and weight, crawler cranes are are difficult to transport from one place to another and are fairly pricey. The crawler's tracks provide the equipment stability and enable the crane to function without utilizing outriggers, although, there are some models that do use outriggers. What's more, the tracks provide the movement of the machinery.
Early Mobile Cranes
The very first mobile cranes were initially mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines that were specially built for the project. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction business and the agricultural industry. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further featured the versatility of the machine. It was not long after when crane companies decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer within the USA, was the first to mount its crane on crawler tracks in 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 uses.
The Speedcrane
Developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was amongst the first to attempt to replicate rail lines for cranes. Manufactured in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a steam-powered, wheel-mounted, 15 ton crane. During 1925, a company called 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.