The all-terrain crane is considered within the crane industry as being a luxury kind of a mobile hydraulic crane. It has the reputation of being similar to 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 particular machine is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all types of off-road terrain. Amongst the main selling characteristics of this particular crane is that it travels equally well at high speeds down highways.
The First Rough Terrain Crane
Grove introduced the very first rough terrain crane to the market in 1959. The crane was designed for the intended application of being a multi-purpose device for application on construction sites. The crane's tires have the industrial strength that can handle all kinds of tricky terrain and can transport small loads in carry mode. In the 1970s, Grove introduced the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This model 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 most notable machine of the company over the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
The rough terrain crane is not without its drawbacks because it is not able to be driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan is the one country that has made this rule an exception. In addition, one more issue happened when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the driver's right and left views, depending on how the cap was positioned. These issues with the crane's design ended up being both hazardous and serious and lead to many accidents with RT cranes, specially while turning. As a result, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were used as the main means of moving rough terrain cranes.