The hydraulic truck crane is a particular mobile crane that utilizes hydraulic power to lift and move thousands of pounds. Hydraulics utilizes forces being transmitted through oil pushing on the boom's pistons in opposite directions in order to lift thousands of pounds. Hydraulic truck cranes are important in building major projects such as airports, bridges, streets and buildings. A crane can complete in minutes jobs which would normally take a lot of hours and hundreds of men to accomplish.
These impressive equipments have played a vital part in building cities, houses, entire nations and individual buildings throughout the ages. Even Egypt's Great Pyramids were probably built with the help of basic cranes to enable the heaviest materials in one of the most remarkable construction projects of all time.
The very first cranes were established during 3000 B.C. Egypt during King Ramses' reign. 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 country throughout the 5th century B.C.
Initially, cranes were first made out of wood. It wasn't until the designers building dockyards decided they needed something stronger and larger did these machines evolve. Hick & Rothwell developed the first cast iron cranes in Bolton, England, during the year 1834. This machine can lift as much as 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 enabled cranes to have a bigger capacity for lifting heavy weights.
The wire ropes were weaved together forming a more powerful rope with even more strength. The newly formed wire also added more flexibility. 4 years later, Germany began to build cast iron cranes. The very first cast iron crane made by Germany was built in Neuburg.