The all-terrain crane is considered in the crane industry as being a luxury model of a mobile hydraulic crane. It has the status 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 great feature of this equipment is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all kinds of off-road terrain. Among 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 in 1959. The crane was intended for application and designed to handle numerous tasks on construction locations. The industrial strength of the crane's tires can handle all types of difficult terrain and can move small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was launched by Grove. This particular model 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 most notable machinery of the company through the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its drawbacks as could not be driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan is the one nation that has made this rule an exception. Additionally, another issue happened when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the driver's right and left views, depending on how the cap was placed. These problems with the crane's design ended up being serious and dangerous and result in lots of RT crane accidents, specially while turning. Thus, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were adopted as the main means of moving rough terrain cranes.