The Evolution into Hydraulics
The Second World War forced much of society to improve overall resourcefulness. During this particular period in history, the development and design of cranes evolved greatly. These industrial machines changed the face of the construction industry.
The very first hydraulic crane was built during the year 1946 by crane manufacturer F. Taylor & Sons. This first unit was not able to luff or slew and was just used by the company. When it joined along with Coles in 1959, this unit opened up the doors for a 50 and 42 Series. A Morris W.D. chassis is what the mobile hydraulic crane was first placed on.
The hydraulic crane by Taylor & Sons operated on a boom powered by a hydraulic pump as well as cylinders that were lifted and lowered by a hydraulic pump. When the company was unable to utilize army vehicles as chassis for the equipment, they began production for designing their own mobile hydraulic cranes.
These first equipments gained a lot of praise and were heralded as amazing machinery. They were supposed to be capable of rebuilding all that was damaged by bombs during the war. The cranes were responsible for helping put together cities, nations and individual homes. Hydraulic systems became designed more and more complex. The pumps and gear systems could be powered while the trucks remained immobile. Businesses such as Hydrauliska Instustri AB made the first truck loader crane appearance offered on the market.
The A2 crane was introduced in 1952. This unit was mounted directly to the back of a Chevy truck. It was complete with a hooked winch and hydraulic lifting cylinders. This particular loader crane started a huge trend in the industry. A company located in Bremen, referred to as Atlas Weyhausen started manufacturing similar versions of this specific equipment.
Immediately after, cranes were becoming more sophisticated. Various companies and manufacturers making the winches developed accurate telescopic booms, and the hydraulic pumps were improved and using various materials so as to change the way the crane was developed.