The all-terrain crane is considered within the crane business 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 rough terrain crane and mobile truck crane. Another remarkable feature of this machine is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all types of off-road terrain. Among the main selling characteristics of this specific crane is that it travels equally well at high speeds down roads.
The First Rough Terrain Crane
Grove launched the 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 locations. The crane's tires have the industrial strength that could handle all types of tricky terrain and is able to transport small loads in carry mode. In the 1970s, the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model was introduced by Grove. This specific unit 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 will become the most notable machine of the company over the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
Amongst the main disadvantages of the rough terrain crane was the problem that it was not capable of being driven on public highways 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 happened when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the left and right views of the driver, depending on how the cap was placed. These issues with the design of the crane ended up being severe and dangerous and lead to numerous RT crane mishaps, especially while turning. Therefore, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were used as the primary method of moving rough terrain cranes.