All-terrain Crane

Cranes have come a long way since they were first invented thousands of years ago. Today cranes help build skyscrapers that can reach a hundred stories lifting heavy beams and other construction materials. Other cranes have been invented to be able to travel from place to place so they can be used on a variety of projects on a variety of jobsites.

Two of the cranes that are mobile and can travel from place to place include the truck crane and the rough-terrain crane. There's another crane that is considered a hybrid of these two called the all-terrain crane. The all-terrain crane is a mobile crane that can travel on the highway at normal speeds and also reach some off-road jobsites.

All-terrain cranes are hydraulically-operated cranes just like truck cranes. It's these hydraulics that help make cranes able to lift such heavy weights. The hydraulic fluid is usually a dense fluid like oil. To illustrate a simple hydraulic system, there are two pistons filled with fluid - pressure is applied in one piston causing oil in the other piston to lift up. This creates the force needed to lift heavy objects.

Hydraulics are also used to extend the boom that houses the telescopic arm that's used to reach high places.

The need for an all-terrain crane came from construction in Russia in the early 1980s. Russia wanted to build gas and oil pipelines in Siberia. They needed a crane that would travel on the highway as well as travel on off-road or rougher surfaces. The Russian government placed an order for over 300 cranes with Leibherr Cranes who had to develop the first all-terrain crane.

The first all-terrain vehicle built had four wheels on individual axles and traveled at top speeds of 40 miles per hour. On top of that, the first all-terrain crane was able to withstand extreme cold temperatures - all the way to -50 degrees.

At this time the Russian company Leibherr was the only manufacturer of all-terrain cranes. About five years later, the company Grove entered into the all-terrain crane market manufacturing all-terrain cranes in both the U.K. and the U.S.

Today there are over eight main manufacturers of all-terrain cranes. And these all-terrain cranes are now built with five individual axles and are lighter than when first invented in the early 80s. Their boom lengths can reach almost 200 feet and the all-terrain crane's lifting capacity can reach up to 130 tons.

But with such advances also comes the need for extra safety precautions. The number of crane accidents has increased over the years. These are typically caused by human error. The crane operator isn't trained well enough, the weight is too heavy for the crane to lift or the load is swung to heavily causing an accident. It's important for all-terrain crane operators to be familiar with their machine to ensure that the all-terrain crane is operated safely.