Early Crane Evolution
More than 4000 years ago, early Egyptians made the first recorded kind of a crane. The original apparatus was referred to 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 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 wheel or a treadmill. The crane consisted of a wooden long beam which was known as a boom. The boom was attached to a base which rotates. The wheel or the treadmill was a power-driven operation that had a drum with a rope which wrapped around it. This rope additionally had a hook that was attached to a pulley at the top of the boom and lifted the weight.
Cranes were used extensively throughout the Middle Ages to build the huge cathedrals within Europe. These devices were also designed to load and unload ships in main ports. Over time, major developments in crane design evolved. For instance, a horizontal boom was added to and was referred to as the jib. This boom addition allowed cranes to have the ability to pivot, thus really increasing the range of motion for the machinery. Following 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 rapidly 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 more efficient and longer lasting. They could obviously run longer as well with their new power sources and therefore complete larger jobs in less time.