The all-terrain crane is considered within the crane industry as being a luxury model of a mobile hydraulic crane. It has the status of being similar to driving a Hummer or a Range Rover on pavement. All-terrain cranes are considered to be a hybrid between a rough terrain crane and mobile truck crane. One more great feature of this particular equipment is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all kinds of off-road terrain. Among the main selling features of this crane is that it travels equally well at top speeds down highways.
The Very First Rough Terrain Crane
The very first rough terrain crane was put on the market by Grove in 1959. The crane was intended for use and designed to handle numerous tasks on construction locations. The industrial strength of the crane's tires is capable of handling all kinds of difficult terrain and can transport small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was introduced by Grove. This unit has an 82.8 meter or 270 foot height under hook in production, together with a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane would become the most remarkable machine of the company over the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its disadvantages since could not be driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan is the one country that has made this rule an exception. Additionally, another issue happened when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the left and right views of the driver, depending on how the cap was placed. All these issues with the design of the crane ended up being both severe and dangerous and result in lots of accidents with RT cranes, specially while turning. Thus, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were adopted as the primary way of moving rough terrain cranes.