The all-terrain crane is considered within the crane industry as being a luxury model of a mobile hydraulic crane. It has the reputation 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 remarkable quality of this machinery is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all types of off-road terrain. Amongst the main selling features of this specific crane is that it travels equally well at top speeds down roads.
The First Rough Terrain Crane
The first rough terrain crane was put on the market by Grove during 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 can handle all types of difficult terrain and is able to transport small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was introduced by Grove. 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 notable machine of the company over the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its drawbacks because could not be driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan is the one country that has made this rule an exception. Moreover, one more problem occurred when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the driver's right and left views, depending upon how the cap was placed. These issues with the crane's design ended up being both severe and dangerous and lead to a lot of accidents with RT cranes, specially while turning. As a result, low-loaders, lowboys, flatbeds were utilized as the main method of transporting rough terrain cranes.