Crawler Crane
The mobile crawler crane is specific crane designed 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 sites without the need for much set up. Because of their huge weight and size, crawler cranes are fairly expensive and even hard to transport from one site to another. The crawler's tracks provide the machine stability and enable the crane to function without utilizing outriggers, however, there are some models that do utilize outriggers. What's more, the tracks provide the movement of the equipment.
Early Mobile Cranes
Originally, the very first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specifically built short rail lines. When the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the agricultural business and the construction business. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further showcased 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 USA, 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 mid-1920s, crawler tracks had become the chosen means of traction for heavy crane uses.
The Speedcrane
The Moore Speedcrane, developed by Charles and Ray Moore of Chicago, Illinois was amongst the first attempts to replicate the rails for cranes. Made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was a wheel-mounted, steam-powered, 15 ton crane. In 1925, a company called Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the tracked crane's potential and marketability. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers so as to produce it and go into business.