The all-terrain crane is considered within the crane industry as being a luxury model 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 rough terrain crane and mobile truck crane. One more great feature of this machinery is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all kinds of off-road terrain. One of the main selling characteristics of this particular crane is that it travels equally well at high speeds down roads.
The 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 handle numerous tasks on construction sites. The crane's tires have the industrial strength which is capable of handling all types of difficult terrain and can transport small loads in carry mode. In the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was launched by Grove. This unit has a 270 foot or 82.8 meter height under hook in production, along with a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane would become the company's most notable machinery through the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
Among the major disadvantages of the rough terrain crane was the problem that it was not capable of being driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan was the only nation within the globe that will make an exception to this rule. In addition, another problem occurred when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the left and right views of the driver, that depends on how the cap was positioned. These problems with the crane's design ended up being both severe and hazardous and result in many accidents with RT cranes, particularly when turning. As a result, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were used as the primary method of moving rough terrain cranes.