Hydraulic truck cranes are a specialized type of mobile crane. These cranes use hydraulics and could lift thousands of pounds. Hydraulics utilizes forces being transmitted through oil pushing on the pistons of the boom in opposite directions so as to lift thousands of pounds. Hydraulic truck cranes are important in constructing major projects like for instance bridges, airports, buildings and roadways. A crane can complete in minutes tasks that would normally take lots of hours and hundreds of men to complete.
These impressive equipments have played a very important part in building houses, cities, individual buildings and entire nations throughout the ages. Even Egypt's Great Pyramids were probably built with the help of basic cranes to allow the heaviest materials in one of the most amazing construction projects of all time.
The very first cranes were established in 3000 B.C. Egypt during the reign of King Ramses. This lifting mechanism was first used to collect water. The first official "cranes" appeared in Ancient Greece. These mechanism were utilized to build an entire nation during the 5th century B.C.
Originally, cranes were first made out of wood. It wasn't until the designers constructing dockyards decided they required something stronger and larger did these equipments evolve. Hick & Rothwell designed the first cast iron cranes during 1834, in Bolton, England. This machinery was capable of lifting up to 2 tons. That same year, wire ropes were added to the crane by Herr Albert Sr. who was an Official of the German Superior Board. The wire rope made the crane more durable and stronger. This addition enabled cranes to have a larger capacity to lift heavy weights.
Ultimately, the wire ropes were weaved together in order to form an even more powerful strength. This wire formation also brought the added benefit of flexibility. 4 years later, Germany began to build cast iron cranes. The very first cast iron crane built by Germany was built within Neuburg.