The all-terrain crane is considered in the crane industry as being a luxury type 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. One more remarkable feature 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 characteristics of this particular crane is that it travels equally well at top 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 machine for application on construction sites. The crane's tires have the industrial strength that is capable of handling all types of difficult terrain and could transport small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was launched by Grove. This specific model has a 270 foot or 82.8 meter height under hook in production, along with a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane would become the most notable machinery of the company over the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
Among the main drawbacks of the rough terrain crane was the issue that it was not capable of being driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan was the only country within the world that will make an exception to this rule. Furthermore, one more issue occurred when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the right and left views of the driver, which depends on how the cap was placed. All the issues with the design of the crane ended up being serious and hazardous and lead to numerous RT crane mishaps, particularly when turning. Thus, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were utilized as the main way of moving rough terrain cranes.