The all-terrain crane is considered in the crane business as being a luxury type 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 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 specific 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 during 1959. The crane was intended for use and designed to deal with numerous tasks on construction sites. The industrial strength of the crane's tires can handle all kinds of tricky terrain and can transport small loads in carry mode. In 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 will become the most remarkable machine of the company through the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
One of the major drawbacks of the rough terrain crane was the issue that it was not capable of being driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan was the only nation in the globe which would make an exception to this rule. Furthermore, another problem happened when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the left and right views of the driver, depending on how the cap was positioned. All the issues with the design of the crane ended up being both dangerous and serious and lead to many RT crane accidents, specially when turning. Therefore, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were used as the primary way of moving rough terrain cranes.