Crawler Crane
The mobile crawler crane is specific 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 a lot of set up. Due to their huge size and weight, crawler cranes are rather expensive and even hard to transport from one site to another. The crawler's tracks provide the machinery stability and enable the crane to function without the use of outriggers, however, there are several units which do utilize outriggers. Moreover, the tracks provide the movement of the machine.
Early Mobile Cranes
The first mobile cranes were initially mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines that were specially constructed for the project. 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, 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
In the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer in the United States, mounted its first crane on crawler tracks. It described the new machine 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 Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois was one of the first attempts to copy the rails for cranes. Made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a steam-powered, wheel-mounted, 15 ton crane. In the year 1925, a company referred to as Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the tracked crane's marketability and potential. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers to be able to manufacture it and go into business.