The all-terrain crane is considered in 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 equipment is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all types of off-road terrain. Among the main selling features of this crane is that it travels equally well at high 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 use and designed to deal with numerous tasks on construction locations. The industrial strength of the crane's tires could handle all types of tricky terrain and is able to move small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, Grove introduced the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This unit has a 270 foot or 82.8 meter 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 remarkable machine over the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its disadvantages as it is not able to be driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan is the one country which has made this rule an exception. In addition, one more problem happened when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the driver's left and right views, that depends on how the cap was placed. These problems with the design of the crane ended up being both hazardous and severe and result in many RT crane mishaps, particularly when turning. Therefore, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were utilized as the main way of moving rough terrain cranes.