In 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 feature of this machinery is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all kinds of off-road terrain. Among the main selling features of this 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 use 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 kinds of tricky terrain and is able to transport small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, Grove launched the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This unit 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 Drawbacks
Amongst the major 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 in the globe which would make an exception to this rule. In addition, another issue occurred when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the left and right views of the driver, that depends upon how the cap was positioned. All the problems with the design of the crane ended up being dangerous and serious and lead to many RT crane accidents, particularly while turning. Therefore, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were utilized as the primary method of transporting rough terrain cranes.