The all-terrain crane is considered in the crane industry as being a luxury type of a mobile hydraulic crane. It has the status of being similar to driving a Range Rover or a Hummer on pavement. All-terrain cranes are considered to be a hybrid between a rough terrain crane and mobile truck crane. Another great quality of this machine is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all kinds of off-road terrain. Amongst the main selling features of this crane is that it travels equally well at top speeds down roads.
The Very First Rough Terrain Crane
The very first rough terrain crane was put on the market by Grove during the year 1959. The crane was intended for application and designed to handle various tasks on construction locations. The crane's tires have the industrial strength that is capable of handling all kinds of tricky terrain and could move small loads in carry mode. In the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was launched by Grove. This particular 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 company's most remarkable equipment over the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
One of the main drawbacks of the rough terrain crane was the issue that it was not capable of being driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan was the only country within the globe which will make an exception to this rule. In addition, one more problem occurred when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the right and left views of the driver, depending on how the cap was positioned. All these issues with the crane's design ended up being hazardous and serious and lead to numerous accidents with RT cranes, specially while turning. Thus, low-loaders, lowboys, flatbeds were utilized as the main way of transporting rough terrain cranes.