Within 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 Range Rover or a Hummer 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 machine is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all kinds of off-road terrain. Amongst the main selling characteristics of this specific 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 in the year 1959. The crane was intended for application and designed to deal with many tasks on construction sites. The industrial strength of the crane's tires could handle all kinds of tricky terrain and can transport small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, Grove introduced the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This model has an 82.8 meter or 270 foot height under hook in production, in addition to a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane would become the company's most remarkable machinery through the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
Amongst the major disadvantages 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 globe which will make an exception to this rule. Furthermore, another issue occurred when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the left and right views of the driver, depending upon how the cap was placed. These issues with the crane's design ended up being both dangerous and severe and lead to many accidents with RT cranes, specially when turning. Therefore, low-loaders, lowboys, flatbeds were adopted as the primary means of transporting rough terrain cranes.