In the crane business, the all-terrain crane is a luxury type of a mobile hydraulic crane. The reputation of this particular crane is like 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 great feature of this particular machinery is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all types of off-road terrain. One of the main selling features of this crane is that it travels equally well at high speeds down highways.
The Very First Rough Terrain Crane
The very first rough terrain crane was put on the market by Grove during the year 1959. The crane was intended for use and designed to deal with numerous tasks on construction locations. The industrial strength of the crane's tires could handle all kinds of tricky terrain and is able to move small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, Grove introduced the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This specific 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 would become the most remarkable machinery of the company through the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
Amongst the main drawbacks of the rough terrain crane was the problem that it was not capable of being driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan was the only nation in the world which would make an exception to this rule. Additionally, another issue occurred when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the left and right views of the driver, depending on how the cap was placed. These issues with the design of the crane ended up being both hazardous and severe and lead to numerous RT crane mishaps, specially while turning. As a result, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were used as the main method of moving rough terrain cranes.