In the crane business, the all-terrain crane is a luxury model of a mobile hydraulic crane. The reputation of this particular crane is like driving a Range Rover or a Hummer on pavement. All-terrain cranes are considered to be a hybrid between a mobile truck crane and rough terrain crane. Another remarkable quality of this specific equipment is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all types of off-road terrain. Among the main selling features of this crane is that it travels equally well at top 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 various tasks on construction locations. The industrial strength of the crane's tires is capable of handling all kinds of tricky terrain and can transport small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, Grove launched the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This specific 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 would become the most notable machinery of the company through the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
The rough terrain crane is not without its drawbacks since could not be driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan is the one country that has made this rule an exception. In addition, another issue happened when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the right and left views of the driver, that depends upon how the cap was placed. All these problems with the design of the crane ended up being both hazardous and severe and result in lots of accidents with RT cranes, specially when turning. Thus, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were used as the main way of transporting rough terrain cranes.