Hydraulic truck cranes are a specific type of mobile crane. These cranes utilize hydraulics and are able to lift thousands of pounds. Hydraulics uses forces being transmitted through oil pushing in opposite directions on the boom's pistons in order to lift thousands of pounds. Hydraulic truck cranes are vital in building major projects like for example airports, bridges, roads and buildings. A crane can complete in minutes jobs which would normally take a lot of hours and hundreds of men to complete.
The vast machines are normally utilized in the building of cities, houses, entire nations and individual buildings throughout the ages. Even Egypt's Great Pyramids were probably built with the help of basic cranes to allow the heaviest materials in one of the most amazing construction projects of all time.
The very first representation of a crane was featured during King Ramses' reign within Egypt in 3000 B.C. This was a portrayal of a lifting device which was used to collect water. The very first official "cranes" appeared in Ancient Greece. These devices were used to build an entire nation in the 5th century B.C.
These cranes were initially made out of wood. The designs of cranes started to change when dockyards started to require stronger and bigger machines. Hick & Rothwell designed the first cast iron cranes in the year 1834, within Bolton, England. This machine was capable of lifting up to 2 tons. That same year, the addition of wire rope was added to the crane by Herr Albert Sr. who was an Official of the German Superior Board. The wire rope made the crane stronger and more durable. This addition allowed cranes to have a larger capacity to lift heavy weights.
The wire ropes were weaved together forming a more powerful rope with even more strength. The newly formed wire also added more flexibility. Germany began to build cast iron cranes 4 years later. The first cast iron crane made by Germany was built in Neuburg.