Within the crane industry, 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. One more great quality of this specific machinery is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all kinds of off-road terrain. One of the main selling features of this crane is that it travels equally well at high speeds down roads.
The First Rough Terrain Crane
The first rough terrain crane was put on the market by Grove during 1959. The crane was intended for use and designed to deal with many tasks on construction sites. The crane's tires have the industrial strength that is capable of handling all kinds of tricky terrain and could transport small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, Grove introduced the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This unit has an 82.8 meter or 270 foot height under hook in production, together with a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane would become the most notable machine of the company through the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
The rough terrain crane is not without its disadvantages as could not be driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan is the one country that has made this rule an exception. Additionally, another problem occurred when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the driver's right and left views, depending upon how the cap was placed. All these issues with the design of the crane ended up being hazardous and severe and result in a lot of accidents with RT cranes, specially while turning. Thus, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were used as the primary method of transporting rough terrain cranes.