The gigantic sandcrawlers were originally known as Mining Digger Crawlers, and originated on the core world of Corellia

Corellia Planet

where they were developed for use in ore-mining. Their hardly design and massive onboard power facilities made them perfect for mining operations in the sprawling Dune Sea of Tatooine

Tatooine Planet

, where ferocious sandstorms would topple lesser vehicles. But the sandcrawlers, as the became know on the desert planet, were abandoned by their Corellian owners after they discovered Tatooine ore had unwanted metallurgic properties. They also found that ore could only be located on the planet surface. Thus, the mining venture failed. The abandoned fleet of sand-pitted and scoured sandcrawlers were soon appropriated by the diminutive Jawas

Jawa Sentient Species

, Tatooine's foremost scavengers. As well as providing them with transport, the sandcrawlers also became mobile workshops, stores and sale protection from the dangers of the desert. Before long they became teeming Jawa communities. The original interiors of salvaged crawlers were refitted by their new masters to become a central part of Jawa culture. Eye-wintnesses confirm that the interior of sandcrawler more closely resembles the warren of a small animal than the workplace of an ore miner. The sandcrawlers became base of operations when Jawa go foraging for droids lost or abandoned in the wastes of Tatooine. They leave the crawler en masse and use ionization blasters to disable the droids before carrying them back to the crawler. With its vast storage capacity, a sandcrawler can carry 40 metric tonnes of cargo - and there was enough room to store 1500 inside a single vehicle. Eager to make a profit of any opportunity, Jawas always keep their sandcrawler's smelting reactor burning, melting any processed ore into saleable ignots.
While a sandcrawler can usually resist most attacks, this massive machine does have several weak points. It plating cannot withstand high-powered energy blasts. Driven by huge, steam-powered nuclear fusion engines, sandcrawler traverse vast distances on eight gigantic treads and can easily conquer steep inclines or move through moutain passes. It has magnetic suction tube which can be used both for loading ore and salvages abroad.