Crawler Crane
The mobile crawler crane is particular crane made with either a telescopic boom or a lattice boom. These move upon the crawlers tracks. As this crane is self-propelled, it can move around certain work locations without the need for much set up. Because of their huge size and weight, crawler cranes are are difficult to transport from one site to another and are fairly pricey. The crawler's tracks provide the machine stability and allow the crane to function without utilizing outriggers, however, there are several models that do utilize outriggers. Also, the tracks provide the machine's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
Initially, the very first mobile cranes were mounted to train cars and move along specifically designed short rail lines. Once the 20th century arrived, the crawler tractor changed and this brought the introduction of crawler tracks to the agricultural industry and the construction industry. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further featured the versatility of the machinery. It was not long after when crane companies decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very First Crawler Crane
Northwest Engineering, a crane company in the United States, was the very first to mount its crane on crawler tracks in the 1920s. 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 chosen means of traction for heavy crane operations.
The Speedcrane
Developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was one of the first to attempt to copy rail lines for cranes. Made within 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 so as to produce it and go into business.