The all-terrain crane is considered in the crane industry as being a luxury kind 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 mobile truck crane and rough terrain crane. One more remarkable quality of this equipment is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all kinds of off-road terrain. One of the main selling features of this particular crane is that it travels equally well at top speeds down roads.
The First Rough Terrain Crane
Grove launched the very first rough terrain crane to the market in 1959. The crane was designed for the intended application of being a multi-purpose device for use on construction sites. The crane's tires have the industrial strength which is capable of handling all kinds of tricky terrain and is able to transport small loads in carry mode. In the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was introduced by Grove. This particular model has a 270 foot or 82.8 meter height under hook in production, together with a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane will become the most notable machinery of the company over the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
The rough terrain crane is not without its drawbacks as it is not able to be driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan is the one nation that has made this rule an exception. Additionally, one more problem occurred when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the left and right views of the driver, depending on how the cap was positioned. All these problems with the design of the crane ended up being both serious and dangerous and result in numerous accidents with RT cranes, especially when turning. Therefore, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were adopted as the main way of moving rough terrain cranes.