Whether you need to move heavy industrial loads or you're working in nasty conditions, having the right construction cranes is impactful. But which crane is best for uneven surfaces? Crane Network LLC provides a comparison of popular crane models, focusing on the most popular crane types for heavy lifting: Lattice Boom, Rough Terrain, and All Terrain cranes.
Lattice boom cranes (also known as crawler cranes) are some of the largest heavy lift crane types for industrial projects. Many professionals buy lattice boom crawler cranes because of their powerful crawler treads that ensure jobsite stability on soft ground. If you want to know how does a lattice boom crane work, it uses a lattice structure to spread weight, allowing it to handle heavy machinery transport with load capacity (tons) of up to 300.
You'll find a number of different cranes all qualify for the "Rough Terrain crane" category, because they all meet the same requirements:
Whereas the Lattice Boom crane is considered something like a tank, the Rough Terrain crane is a monster truck that doesn't care about rough or impassible terrain. Rough Terrain cranes typically have oversized tires on two type-sized axles. This makes they are able to apply differing differentials to their wheels while passing over even some of the worst debris and at speeds faster than standard cranes. They also can level themselves, using a H-pattern hydraulic outrigger, giving them a load capacity of 30 to 165 tons.
Rough Terrain cranes do have a few drawbacks, however. They can't travel on public roads in most cases, even to cross public streets between job sites. Their H-pattern hydraulics also need to be deployed when working on uneven or rough terrain for stability, which makes moving loads with them across jobsites challenging.
If a Rough Terrain crane is a monster truck, the All Terrain crane is like a Range Rover offering greater luxury and performance over a standard mobile hydraulic crane. Both are designed to work in less challenging conditions, but the All Terrain crane comes with benefits such as being able to travel on public roads and even highways while still having an incredible load capacity thanks to the ability to add attachments to their hydraulics such as luffer jibs and superlifts. This gives your All Terrain cranes the capability of up to 1000 tons of load capacity when properly outfitted. They're also larger than the Rough Terrain cranes, giving your crew more legroom while working.
Their hydraulic cranes can also reach up to 500 feet, and offer not only incredible durability but versatility on your jobsites while still being able to handle a good deal of unpleasant terrain. However, All Terrain cranes can also be one of the most expensive cranes to use, so if your jobsite can do without it, it might be wiser to save yourself money. But if you're working in unpredictable weather, multi-level jobsites, remote locations, or need raw lifting power than the All Terrain crane is right for you.
Explore all Crane Network equipment categories to find used cranes for sale online. Whether you need financing for cranes at Crane Network or have insurance for heavy equipment Crane Network concerns, our team helps you choose from the different types of cranes used in construction from reliable crane brands for construction.
There are various different types of cranes used in construction, each serving a specific purpose. The most common include lattice boom cranes for heavy stability, rough terrain cranes for off-road environments, and all-terrain cranes for versatility and public road travel. Other types include tower cranes, crawler cranes, and truck-mounted hydraulic cranes.
The main difference between rough terrain and all-terrain cranes lies in their mobility and tires. Rough terrain cranes are designed specifically for off-road use with oversized tires and 4-wheel drive but cannot travel on public roads. All-terrain cranes combine the off-road capability of a rough terrain crane with the highway speed of a truck-mounted crane, making them more versatile but often more expensive.
A lattice boom crane or a crawler crane is usually the best choice for uneven or soft ground. These cranes use crawler treads (tracks) instead of wheels, which spreads the machine's weight over a larger surface area, providing much better jobsite stability compared to wheeled cranes.
Lattice boom cranes are known for their massive load capacity (tons). Depending on the model and configuration, a lattice boom crawler crane can typically handle heavy industrial loads ranging from 100 tons to over 300 tons, making them ideal for large-scale infrastructure and heavy machinery transport.
No, in most jurisdictions, rough terrain cranes are not permitted for public road travel. Because of their oversized tires and weight distribution, they must be transported to the jobsite on a trailer. If you need a crane that can drive itself between sites on highways, an all-terrain crane is the better option.
