In the crane industry, the all-terrain crane is a luxury type of a mobile hydraulic crane. The reputation of this particular crane is 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. Another great feature of this particular machine is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all kinds of off-road terrain. Among the main selling characteristics of this specific 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 application and designed to handle numerous tasks on construction locations. The crane's tires have the industrial strength that is capable of handling all types of difficult terrain and could move small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was introduced by Grove. This particular 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 will become the company's most remarkable machine over the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
The rough terrain crane is not without its disadvantages as could not be driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan is the one country that has made this rule an exception. Moreover, another issue happened when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the right and left views of the driver, depending on how the cap was positioned. These problems with the design of the crane ended up being dangerous and severe and result in a lot of accidents with RT cranes, particularly while turning. Thus, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were adopted as the primary method of transporting rough terrain cranes.