Hydraulic truck cranes are a specific type of mobile crane. These cranes use hydraulics and can lift thousands of pounds. Hydraulics makes use of forces being transmitted through oil pushing in opposite directions on the pistons of the boom in order to lift thousands of pounds. Hydraulic truck cranes are important in building major projects like bridges, airports, buildings and roadways. A crane could complete in minutes jobs which will normally take a lot of hours and hundreds of men to complete.
These impressive machinery have played a very important role in building houses, cities, individual buildings and entire nations throughout the ages. Even the Great Pyramids in Egypt were probably built using basic cranes to allow the heaviest supplies in one of the most remarkable construction projects ever.
The first representation of a crane was showcased during King Ramses' reign in Egypt during 3000 B.C. This was a portrayal of a lifting mechanism that was used to collect water. The first official "cranes" appeared in Ancient Greece. These mechanism were utilized to create an entire nation in the 5th century B.C.
These cranes were initially made out of wood. The designs of cranes began to change when dockyards began to need stronger and bigger equipments. Hick & Rothwell developed the very first cast iron cranes in the year 1834, within Bolton, England. This machine could lift up to 2 tons. That very same year, the addition of wire rope was added to the crane by Herr Albert Sr. who was an Official of the German Superior Board. The wire rope made the crane more durable and stronger. This addition allowed cranes to have a bigger capacity for lifting heavy weights.
Ultimately, the wire ropes were weaved together in order to form an even more powerful strength. This wire formation also brought the added advantage of flexibility. 4 years later, Germany started to make cast iron cranes. The first cast iron crane made by Germany was made in Neuburg.