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. Since this crane is self-propelled, it could move around particular work locations 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 machine stability and allow the crane to work without utilizing outriggers, although, there are several models which do use outriggers. Moreover, the tracks provide the machine's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
The very first mobile cranes were initially mounted to train cars. They moved along short rail lines that were particularly made for the project. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor evolved and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the construction industry and the agricultural industry. Not long after, the crawler tracks were adopted by excavators and this further featured the machine's versatility. It was not long after when manufacturers of cranes decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very First Crawler Crane
Around the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer within the United States, mounted its very first crane on crawler tracks. It described the new machinery 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 operations.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois was among 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 the year 1925, a company called 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 in order to produce it and go into business.