A crawler crane is a type of mobile crane that features a tracked undercarriage and a crane mechanism attached. With the ability to work on most ground surfaces, including soft grounds like sand and gravel, the crawler crane is a very popular type of machine.
This type of crane is used across various industries including, construction, manufacturing, transport and production. The metal tracks not only make the crawler crane stable on the ground, but also provide excellent manoeuvrability. When compared to wheeled cranes, crawler varieties are more versatile as they can move on any surface without worrying about damaging it. This also allows them to be used on unprepared sites as the tracks provide a more even distribution of the load.
Crawler cranes consist of a propulsion system and tracks. The engine and control cabin are then placed on top of the tracks. A long boom is attached to the cabin and can be raised to heights upward of 172m. These long booms have cables which move through the boom and are usually equipped with a hook on the end to lift loads. The lifting capacity of crawler cranes ranges depending on the make and model you choose, but some large-scale machines can lift up to 15,000kg.
A benefit of this machine is the little set up involved. With traditional tower cranes there is a lot of set up required before work can get started. This involves many crews and more lead time for the project scope. Crawler cranes, on the other hand, don't require any outriggers and only really need counterweights placed at the back of the machine when the load is particularly heavy. This allows the machine to move around site and perform each lift with little effort from a large crew. Another advantage of the crawler crane is the ability it has to travel with a load in tow.
There are a couple of types of crawler crane on the market including, lattice boom and telescopic crawler cranes. Lattice boom machines carry heavier loads safely and reach enormous working heights, while telescopic varieties tend to have a shorter set up time and work better in off.
The main things to consider when looking for a crawler crane is the price and making sure you get a model that suits your project. Some machines can be quite bulky and heavy, so they can be difficult and slow to move, while others are better at moving across construction sites. Generally, these machines are a $100,000+ investment, so it's important you speak to local dealers to ensure you get the correct crawler crane for your project.
