The hydraulic truck crane is a specialized mobile crane which utilizes hydraulic power to raise and move thousands of pounds. Hydraulics utilizes forces being transmitted through oil pushing on the boom's pistons in opposite directions so as to lift thousands of pounds. Hydraulic truck cranes are vital in building major projects such as bridges, airports, buildings and streets. A crane can complete in minutes tasks that will normally take lots of hours and hundreds of men to accomplish.
These impressive machines have played a vital part in constructing cities, houses, individual buildings and entire nations throughout the ages. Even the Great Pyramids within Egypt were likely built utilizing basic cranes to allow the heaviest supplies in one of the most awesome construction projects of all time.
The very first cranes were established in 3000 B.C. Egypt in King Ramses' reign. This lifting device was originally utilized to collect water. The very first official "cranes" appeared during Ancient Greece. These mechanism were used to build a whole country in the 5th century B.C.
These cranes were initially made out of wood. The designs of cranes began to change when dockyards started to need stronger and bigger machines. Hick & Rothwell developed the first cast iron cranes within Bolton, England, in 1834. This equipment could lift as much as 2 tons. That same year, the addition of wire rope was added to the crane by an Official of the German Superior Board, Herr Albert Sr. The wire rope made the crane more durable and stronger. This addition allowed cranes to have a bigger capacity for lifting heavy weights.
Eventually, the wire ropes were weaved together in order to form an even more powerful strength. This wire formation also brought the added advantage of flexibility. Germany began to make cast iron cranes 4 years later. The very first cast iron crane made by Germany was made within Neuburg.