Crawler Crane
The crawler crane is a specific type of mobile crane that is offered with either a telescopic boom or a lattice boom which moves upon crawler tracks. Since this model is a self-propelled crane, it could move around a jobsite and accomplishing tasks without a lot of set-up. Due to their huge size and weight, crawler cranes are are hard to transport from one site to another and are fairly expensive. The crawler's tracks offer stability to the machine and enable the crane to work without using outriggers, however, there are several units that do use outriggers. As well, the tracks provide the movement of the machine.
Early Mobile Cranes
The very 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 business as well as the agricultural business. Not long after, excavators adopted the crawler tracks and this further showcased the machine's versatility. It was not long after before crane manufacturers decided that the crawler track market was a safe bet.
The Very First Crawler Crane
In the 1920s, Northwest Engineering, a crane manufacturer within the USA, mounted its 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 uses.
The Speedcrane
Developed by Ray and Charles Moore of Chicago, Illinois; the Moore Speedcrane was one of the first to attempt to replicate rail lines for cranes. Made within Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Speedcrane was 15 ton, wheel-mounted, steam-powered crane. During the year 1925, a company referred to as Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co, from Manitowoc, Wisconsin recognized the tracked crane's potential and marketability. They decided to team up with the Moore brothers in order to produce it and go into business.