In the crane business, 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. Another remarkable feature of this equipment is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse 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 first rough terrain crane was put on the market by Grove during the year 1959. The crane was intended for application and designed to handle various tasks on construction sites. The crane's tires have the industrial strength which could handle all kinds of difficult terrain and could transport small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was introduced by Grove. This 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 remarkable equipment through the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its disadvantages since it is not able to be driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan is the one country that has made this rule an exception. Moreover, one more issue happened when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the driver's right and left views, that depends upon how the cap was positioned. These issues with the design of the crane ended up being both severe and hazardous and lead to many accidents with RT cranes, specially while turning. Thus, low-loaders, lowboys, flatbeds were utilized as the primary means of transporting rough terrain cranes.