The all-terrain crane is considered within the crane industry as being a luxury kind of a mobile hydraulic crane. It has the reputation of being similar to driving a Hummer or a Range Rover on pavement. All-terrain cranes are considered to be a hybrid between a mobile truck crane and rough terrain crane. One more great feature of this equipment 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 crane is that it travels equally well at top speeds down highways.
The Very First Rough Terrain Crane
Grove introduced the very first rough terrain crane to the market in 1959. The crane was designed for the intended application of being a multi-purpose equipment for application on construction sites. The industrial strength of the crane's tires is capable of handling all types of tricky terrain and could move small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was launched by Grove. This unit has an 82.8 meter or 270 foot 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 remarkable equipment over the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
The rough terrain crane is not without its disadvantages because could not be driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan is the one nation which has made this rule an exception. Furthermore, one more problem occurred when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the left and right views of the driver, which depends upon how the cap was placed. All the issues with the crane's design ended up being both dangerous and serious and lead to lots of accidents with RT cranes, particularly while turning. As a result, low-loaders, lowboys, flatbeds were used as the primary method of transporting rough terrain cranes.