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 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. Another great quality of this machine is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse 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 application and designed to handle many tasks on construction sites. The industrial strength of the crane's tires can handle all types of tricky terrain and is able to transport small loads in carry mode. In the 1970s, Grove launched the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This model has an 82.8 meter or 270 foot height under hook in production, in addition to a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane would become the most notable equipment of the company over the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
Among the major drawbacks of the rough terrain crane was the problem that it was not capable of being driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan was the only country in the globe which will make an exception to this rule. In addition, one more issue occurred when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the driver's left and right views, that depends on how the cap was placed. All the problems with the design of the crane ended up being serious and dangerous and lead to a lot of accidents with RT cranes, particularly when turning. Thus, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were used as the primary method of moving rough terrain cranes.