Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific type of mobile crane that is available with either a lattice boom or a telescopic boom that moves upon crawler tracks. Because this model is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and accomplishing tasks without much set-up. Due to their huge size and weight, crawler cranes are rather pricey and even difficult to transport from one location to another. The crawler's tracks provide stability to the machinery and enable the crane to work without using outriggers, although, there are several models which do use outriggers. As well, the tracks provide the machine's movement.
Early Mobile Cranes
The first mobile cranes were originally 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 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 versatility of the machine. It was not long after before crane manufacturers decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The First Crawler Crane
In the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer in 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 mid-1920s, crawler tracks had become the preferred means of traction for heavy crane operations.
The Speedcrane
Developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was among 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 the year 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 manufacture it and go into business.