Crawler Cranes vs. Mobile Cranes
Despite being both sub-types of mobile cranes, crawler cranes and mobile cranes have distinctive features related to their principles of operation and intended purpose. Equipment selection is one of the most important choices to be made by a project manager. This article is dedicated to comparative analysis of these two types of equipment and will help you make your choice easily.
What Is the Crawler Crane?
Crawler crane is a heavy-duty lifting machinery installed on tracked drive mechanism, similar to tank. The tracked drive is the source of all its distinctive features: high stability and good ground pressure distribution. Due to the spreading of its great weight over the large surface area, crawler crane can work successfully in soft and rough conditions when other machinery would sink into the ground. One of the main advantages of the crawler crane is that it does not need to use outriggers for its stabilizing since its wide tracks can be used as a stable base allowing to move suspended loads around the work site.
What is the Mobile Crane?
In contrast, the term “mobile crane” typically refers to a wheeled crane mounted on a vehicle chassis. This inherent wheeled mobility grants them unparalleled versatility and ease of transportation. Most mobile cranes can drive directly to a job site on public roads and be prepared for operation with minimal setup time, usually requiring only the extension of outriggers for stabilization. This characteristic makes them the undisputed champions of speed, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness for short-duration projects, urban environments, and any job requiring frequent relocation between multiple sites.
Mobile Crane Types
Truck-Mounted Cranes: These combine a standard commercial truck chassis with a crane superstructure, offering excellent road speed and rapid setup for general construction and utility work.
Rough-Terrain Cranes: Mounted on four large rubber tires with 4-wheel drive and steering, these are designed for off-road operation on improved, but unpaved, sites.
All-Terrain Cranes: A premium hybrid that merges the road-legal speed of a truck-mounted crane with the off-road maneuverability of a rough-terrain crane, often featuring multi-axle drive and all-wheel/crab steering.
Crawler Cranes vs. Mobile Cranes
How to Choose the Right Crane
When deciding between a crawler crane and a mobile crane, four major issues should be considered: the state of the site, characteristics of the load, the duration of the project, and budget considerations.
1 Site Terrain and Access Issues
When the site is an urban area that includes paved terrain where there is little room, the mobile crane is definitely preferable due to its convenient setup and maneuverability When the terrain is soft, muddy, rocky, or uneven, then it is the crawler crane which must be chosen since it does not need outriggers for additional stability The access conditions also play a certain role If the access to the site is restricted because of heavy transport trailers, then the mobile crane can get to the point of lifting by itself.
2 Load Weight Radius and Height
Load weight and load radius become far more important considerations than the rating capacity of the cranes because the lifting capacity decreases exponentially as the boom lengthens. The mobile crane is sufficient for light and moderate loads, but for extremely heavy loads or loads that need to be lifted to great height or have to be transported around the project area, the crawler crane is the only viable choice.
3 Project Duration and Number of Movements
When the duration of the project is one day or when there is a need for multiple movements of the crane in different locations, then the mobile crane is the better choice. However, when the duration is a matter of weeks, and even months, then the cost of mobilization becomes justified.
4 Budget and Cost Efficiency
The crawler crane entails more expensive assembly and operation costs during transportation, but when the load to be handled is heavier or for a long period of time, then it is unavoidable and justified. When considering normal loads and stable ground, it is more cost efficient to use the mobile crane.
