Early Crane Evolution
Over 4000 years ago, early Egyptians made the very first recorded version of a crane. The original device was called a shaduf and was first used to transport water. The crane was made out of a long pivoting beam that balanced on a vertical support. On one end a heavy weight was connected and on the other end of the beam, a bucket was connected.
Cranes that were made during the first century were powered by animals or by humans that were moving on a treadmill or a wheel. The crane consisted of a long wooden beam that was referred to as a boom. The boom was attached to a base that rotates. The treadmill or the wheel was a power-driven operation which had a drum with a rope that wrapped around it. This rope additionally had a hook that lifted the weight and was connected to a pulley at the top of the boom.
Within Europe, the enormous cathedrals established in the Middle Ages were build using cranes. Cranes were also utilized to load and unload ships within key ports. Over time, major developments in crane design evolved. For instance, a horizontal boom was added to and became known as the jib. This boom addition allowed cranes to have the ability to pivot, hence really increasing the range of motion for the machinery. After the 16th century, cranes had incorporated two treadmills on each side of a rotating housing that held the boom.
Cranes utilized animals and humans for power until the mid-19th century. This all changes quickly when steam engines were developed. At the turn of the century, electric motors and IC or internal combustion engines emerged. Cranes also became designed out of cast iron and steel as opposed to wood. The new designs proved more efficient and longer lasting. They can obviously run longer as well with their new power sources and thus carry out larger tasks in less time.