Crawler

A crawler is a tractor with tracks instead of wheels. The name probably comes from their slow speed.

History

The crawler tractor was the basis of the first designs of tank. The tracks spreads the weight of the vehicle across a larger area, resulting in a lower ground pressure compared to wheels. This makes them very well suited for use on soft ground and mud.

The crawlers equipped with a shovelblade are called bulldozers, and used for construction and earthmoving projects.

Crawler design have been intermittently popular for farm use. The low ground pressure gives better mobility across heavy or soft land.

Examples

Track Marshall

See Also: Caterpillar track, Web crawler