Early Crane Evolution
The very first recorded idea or version of a crane was used by the early Egyptians more than 4000 years ago. This device was known as 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 connected and on the other end of the beam, a heavy weight was connected.
During the first century, cranes were built to be powered by humans or animals that were moving on a treadmill or a wheel. These cranes had a wooden long boom called a beam. 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 that wrapped around it. This rope additionally had a hook which was connected to a pulley at the top of the boom and carried the weight.
Cranes were used extensively in the Middle Ages to make the huge cathedrals in Europe. These devices were also designed to unload and load ships within main ports. Eventually, significant developments in crane design evolved. For example, a horizontal boom was added to and was called the jib. This boom addition allowed cranes to have the ability to pivot, therefore greatly increasing the machine's range of motion. Following 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 quickly changed. At the turn of the century, electric motors and internal combustion or IC engines emerged. Furthermore, 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 too with their new power sources and thus carry out bigger tasks in less time.