Within the crane industry, the all-terrain crane is a luxury kind of a mobile hydraulic crane. The reputation of this crane is 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 remarkable quality of this machine is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all kinds of off-road terrain. Amongst the main selling features of this crane is that it travels equally well at high speeds down highways.
The Very First Rough Terrain Crane
Grove introduced the first rough terrain crane to the market during the year 1959. The crane was designed for the intended application of being a multi-purpose machine for use on construction locations. The industrial strength of the crane's tires is capable of handling all types of tricky terrain and is able to move small loads in carry mode. In the 1970s, Grove introduced the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This model 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 will become the most notable equipment of the company through the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
One of the main disadvantages of the rough terrain crane was the issue that it was not capable of being driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan was the only nation in the globe that would make an exception to this rule. Additionally, another problem occurred when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the left and right views of the driver, which depends on how the cap was positioned. All the problems with the crane's design ended up being both serious and dangerous and lead to lots of accidents with RT cranes, especially while turning. Therefore, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were utilized as the primary method of moving rough terrain cranes.