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. Another great quality of this particular equipment is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all types of off-road terrain. One of the main selling features 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 use and designed to deal with many tasks on construction sites. 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. In the 1970s, Grove launched the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This specific model 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 will become the company's most remarkable machine over the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its drawbacks since could not be driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan is the one country which has made this rule an exception. In addition, one more issue occurred when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the driver's right and left views, that depends upon how the cap was positioned. These issues with the crane's design ended up being serious and hazardous and lead to many accidents with RT cranes, particularly when turning. As a result, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were utilized as the primary method of moving rough terrain cranes.