The all-terrain crane is considered in the crane business as being a luxury type of a mobile hydraulic crane. It has the status of being similar to driving a Hummer or a Range Rover on pavement. All-terrain cranes are considered to be a hybrid between a mobile truck crane and rough terrain crane. Another great feature of this specific equipment is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all kinds of off-road terrain. Amongst the main selling features of this crane is that it travels equally well at top speeds down roads.
The First Rough Terrain Crane
Grove introduced the first rough terrain crane to the market during 1959. The crane was designed for the intended application of being a multi-purpose device for application on construction sites. The industrial strength of the crane's tires is capable of handling all kinds of difficult terrain and can move small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, Grove introduced the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This specific model 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 would become the company's most notable machinery over the years.
The Crane's Disadvantages
Among the main disadvantages of the rough terrain crane was the problem that it was not capable of being driven on public roads with any other traffic. Japan was the only nation in 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, depending on how the cap was placed. These issues with the crane's design ended up being serious and dangerous and lead to many accidents with RT cranes, specially when turning. Therefore, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were used as the main method of transporting rough terrain cranes.