The all-terrain crane is considered in the crane industry as being a luxury type of a mobile hydraulic crane. It has the reputation 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. Another great feature of this particular machinery is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all kinds of off-road terrain. Among the main selling characteristics of this crane is that it travels equally well at top speeds down roads.
The Very First Rough Terrain Crane
The first rough terrain crane was put on the market by Grove in the year 1959. The crane was intended for use and designed to deal with numerous tasks on construction sites. The crane's tires have the industrial strength which can handle 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 model has an 82.8 meter or 270 foot height under hook in production, in addition to a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane would become the company's most notable equipment through the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its drawbacks because it is not able to be driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan is the one country that has made this rule an exception. In addition, another issue happened when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the right and left views of the driver, that depends upon how the cap was positioned. These issues with the design of the crane ended up being both hazardous and serious and lead to lots of accidents with RT cranes, particularly when turning. Therefore, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were adopted as the main method of moving rough terrain cranes.