What Do You Need To Know About Crawler Cranes?

A crawler crane is a lifting machine mounted on a set of tracks with a crane apparatus attached to it. It is capable of working on soft surface due to its weight proportions of the track. Of all crane types, the crawler crane is the most stable, due to its steel tracks. The crawler crane is also capable of lifting significantly more weight than a rubber tire-equipped type of crane with same crane attachment.

The crawler crane consists various parts: track propulsion system (which form the basis of the crane), an engine that sits on the top of the track, control area and a cab. The area above the cab is called boom, from which cables run through and attach to the object about to be lifted. In some cases, the crawler crane has a small extension on the end of the boom that sticks horizontally from the boom. This attachment is called jib and allows the crawler crane to move objects away from its center.

As I mentioned, the track propulsion system is the basis of a crawler. It is based on an old design, but it has proven to be effective and there is no need for change. The tracks are made of steel and allow the crane to operate on soft surface with much greater stability, due to the increased ground contact. This makes the crawler crane the most versatile and maneuverable machine of all the other crane types.

As all other crane types, crawler cranes come with a few advantages and disadvantages as well, which depend on their use. The main impair of the crawler crane is its massive size. Most crawler cranes are so huge that they must be taken apart from one job site to the next one by another huge vehicle (usually truck or train). But the massive size and weight allow the crawler cranes to lift loads up to 3,500 tons to massive heights and maneuver them into position. The cost is the only difficulty in transporting the crane.

Crawler cranes' main advantage is that they are able to perform each lift with quick set-up and move around on job site, as they are very stable on the tracks. The crawler cranes are capable of traveling with a load. As mentioned above, their main disadvantage is their massive size and they can not be transported easily from one job site to the next without significant expense.

Cranes are present since a very long time ago as various crane types, mainly in terms of form. Heavy lifting would be a big concern for the world as it is now, if our ancestors haven't invented the crane. However, the crawler crane is one of the most used machine for any kind of job site, mainly because of its versatility and maneuverability.