The all-terrain crane is considered in the crane business as being a luxury type 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 rough terrain crane and mobile truck crane. Another remarkable quality of this particular machine is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all kinds of off-road terrain. One of the main selling features of this specific crane is that it travels equally well at top speeds down highways.
The First Rough Terrain Crane
The first rough terrain crane was put on the market by Grove in 1959. The crane was intended for application and designed to handle many tasks on construction sites. The crane's tires have the industrial strength that could handle all kinds of difficult 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, in addition to a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane will become the most notable machinery of the company over the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its drawbacks since it is not able to be driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan is the one nation that has made this rule an exception. Additionally, another problem happened when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the driver's left and right views, that depends upon how the cap was positioned. These problems with the crane's design ended up being hazardous and serious and result in numerous RT crane mishaps, particularly while turning. Thus, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were adopted as the main method of transporting rough terrain cranes.