Within the crane business, 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. One more great quality of this equipment is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all kinds of off-road terrain. Among the main selling features of this crane is that it travels equally well at high speeds down highways.
The Very First Rough Terrain Crane
Grove launched the very first rough terrain crane to the market in the year 1959. The crane was designed for the intended use of being a multi-purpose machinery for application on construction locations. The crane's tires have the industrial strength which is capable of handling all types of tricky terrain and could move small loads in carry mode. In the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was introduced by Grove. This 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 would become the company's most notable equipment through the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its disadvantages since it is not able to be driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan is the one country that has made this rule an exception. In addition, one more issue happened when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the right and left views of the driver, depending upon how the cap was placed. These problems with the design of the crane ended up being both dangerous and serious and result in many RT crane mishaps, specially when turning. As a result, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were utilized as the main means of transporting rough terrain cranes.