The all-terrain crane is considered within the crane industry as being a luxury kind 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 mobile truck crane and rough terrain crane. One more great feature of this machinery is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all types of off-road terrain. Amongst the main selling characteristics of this particular crane is that it travels equally well at high speeds down highways.
The Very First Rough Terrain Crane
Grove launched the very first rough terrain crane to the market during 1959. The crane was designed for the intended application of being a multi-purpose equipment for use on construction sites. The crane's tires have the industrial strength that can handle 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 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 notable equipment over the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its drawbacks because could not be driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan is the one nation that has made this rule an exception. Moreover, another problem occurred when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the driver's left and right views, depending upon how the cap was positioned. These problems with the design of the crane ended up being dangerous and severe and lead to lots of accidents with RT cranes, especially when turning. Thus, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were utilized as the primary way of moving rough terrain cranes.