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