Hydraulic truck cranes are a specific type of mobile crane. These cranes utilize hydraulics and are able to lift 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 very important in building major projects such as bridges, airports, streets and buildings. A crane could accomplish in minutes tasks which will normally take lots of hours and hundreds of men to complete.
These impressive equipments have played a vital role in constructing houses, cities, entire nations and individual buildings throughout the ages. Even the Great Pyramids in Egypt were probably built using basic cranes to allow the heaviest materials in one of the most awesome construction projects of all time.
The first cranes were established in 3000 B.C. Egypt in King Ramses' reign. This lifting mechanism was first utilized to collect water. The very first official "cranes" appeared during Ancient Greece. These mechanism were utilized to create a whole nation during the 5th century B.C.
These cranes were initially made out of wood. The designs of cranes began to change when dockyards started to require stronger and larger machines. Hick & Rothwell designed the very first cast iron cranes during the year 1834, within Bolton, England. This equipment was capable of lifting up to 2 tons. That very same year, the addition of wire rope was added to the crane by Herr Albert Sr. who was an Official of the German Superior Board. The wire rope made the crane stronger and more durable. 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 benefit of flexibility. Germany began to make cast iron cranes 4 years later. The very first cast iron crane built by Germany was made within Neuburg.