Early Crane Evolution
Over 4000 years ago, early Egyptians made the very first recorded type of a crane. The original device was known as a shaduf and was initially 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 connected and on the other end of the beam, a heavy weight was connected.
Cranes which were built in the first century were powered by animals or by humans that were moving on a wheel or a treadmill. The crane consisted of a long wooden beam which was called a boom. The boom was connected to a base which rotates. The treadmill or the wheel was a power-driven operation that had a drum with a rope which wrapped around it. This rope additionally had a hook which lifted the weight and was attached to a pulley at the top of the boom.
In Europe, the enormous cathedrals established during the Middle Ages were made using cranes. Cranes were also designed to unload and load ships in main ports. Eventually, significant crane design developments evolved. For example, a horizontal boom was added to and was referred to as the jib. This boom addition enabled cranes to have the ability to pivot, thus greatly increasing the equipment's range of motion. After the 16th century, cranes had incorporated two treadmills on each side of a rotating housing which held the boom.
Even until the mid-19th century, cranes continued to depend on humans and animals for power. When steam engines were developed, this all rapidly changed. At the turn of the century, IC or internal combustion engines and electric motors emerged. Additionally, cranes became designed out of steel and cast iron rather than wood. The new designs proved longer lasting and more efficient. They can obviously run longer also with their new power sources and thus complete larger tasks in less time.