Early Crane Evolution
Over 4000 years ago, early Egyptians made the first recorded kind of a crane. The original apparatus was known as a shaduf and was initially 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 attached and on the other end of the beam, a bucket was connected.
Cranes that were made in 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 which was referred to as a boom. The boom was connected to a rotating base. 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 that was connected to a pulley at the top of the boom and lifted the weight.
Within Europe, the enormous cathedrals established in the Middle Ages were build using cranes. Cranes were also designed to unload and load ships in major ports. Over time, significant crane design advancements evolved. For instance, a horizontal boom was added to and was called the jib. This boom addition enabled cranes to have the ability to pivot, thus greatly increasing the equipment's range of motion. Following the 16th century, cranes had incorporated two treadmills on each side of a rotating housing that 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 quickly changed. At the turn of the century, IC or internal combustion engines and electric motors emerged. Furthermore, cranes became designed out of steel and cast iron as opposed to wood. The new designs proved more efficient and longer lasting. They can obviously run longer too with their new power sources and thus carry out larger jobs in less time.