The all-terrain crane is considered in the crane business 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 rough terrain crane and mobile truck crane. Another great quality of this machine is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse 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 First Rough Terrain Crane
Grove launched the first rough terrain crane to the market during 1959. The crane was designed for the intended use of being a multi-purpose device for use on construction locations. The industrial strength of the crane's tires is capable of handling all kinds of difficult terrain and could transport small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, Grove launched the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This unit has a 270 foot or 82.8 meter height under hook in production, in addition to a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane will become the company's most notable equipment through the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
Amongst the major disadvantages of the rough terrain crane was the problem that it was not capable of being driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan was the only nation within the world which will make an exception to this rule. Moreover, one more problem happened when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the driver's left and right views, depending upon how the cap was placed. All these problems with the design of the crane ended up being dangerous and serious and lead to many accidents with RT cranes, particularly when turning. Therefore, low-loaders, lowboys, flatbeds were utilized as the primary method of moving rough terrain cranes.