The Evolution into Hydraulics
The start of WWII forced society to become more creative overall. Even though the design and development of cranes has evolved significantly, in this particular time these equipments progressed greatly. These industrial equipments changed the face of the construction industry.
The first hydraulic crane was built during 1946 by crane company F. Taylor & Sons. This first model was not able to luff or slew and was only used by the company. When it joined together with Coles during the year 1959, this particular unit opened up the doors for a 42 and 50 Series. A Morris W.D. chassis is what the mobile hydraulic crane was initially placed on.
The hydraulic crane by Taylor & Sons operated on a boom powered by a hydraulic pump and cylinders that were lowered and lifted by a hydraulic pump. Once the company was unable to use army vehicles as chassis for the equipment, they began production for designing their own mobile hydraulic cranes.
These first machines gained a lot of praise and were heralded as incredible machinery. They were supposed to be capable of rebuilding all that was damaged by bombs during the war. The cranes were responsible for helping put together nations, cities and individual houses. Hydraulic systems became designed more and more complex. The pumps and gear systems were able to be powered while the trucks remained immobile. Companies like Hydrauliska Instustri AB made the first truck loader crane appearance on the market.
During the year 1952, the A2 crane was introduced. This specific model was a crane mounted on the rear of Chevrolet truck. It was complete with a hooked winch and hydraulic lifting cylinders. This specific loader crane started a huge trend within the industry. A company located within Bremen, called Atlas Weyhausen began producing similar versions of this machine.
Soon after, cranes were becoming more sophisticated. Various manufacturers and businesses making the winches developed accurate telescopic booms, and the hydraulic pumps were improved and using different materials so as to change the way the crane was developed.