The all-terrain crane is considered within 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. Another remarkable quality of this particular equipment is its multi-functional ability to be able to navigate through all types of off-road terrain. Among the main selling features of this specific crane is that it travels equally well at top speeds down highways.
The First Rough Terrain Crane
Grove launched the first rough terrain crane to the market during the year 1959. The crane was designed for the intended application of being a multi-purpose equipment for use on construction sites. The crane's tires have the industrial strength which could handle all kinds of difficult terrain and is able to transport small loads in carry mode. During 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 remarkable machinery of the company over the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
Amongst the main drawbacks of the rough terrain crane was the issue that it was not capable of being driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan was the only country within the world which will make an exception to this rule. Moreover, another issue happened when the lowered boom on the crane tended to block the left and right views of the driver, depending on how the cap was positioned. These problems with the crane's design ended up being severe and dangerous and lead to many RT crane accidents, specially when turning. As a result, flatbeds, low-loaders, lowboys were adopted as the primary way of transporting rough terrain cranes.