Early Crane Evolution
More than 4000 years ago, early Egyptians created the first recorded type of a crane. The original apparatus was referred to as a shaduf and was initially utilized to transport water. The crane was made out of a pivoting long beam which balanced on a vertical support. On one end a heavy weight was attached and on the other end of the beam, a bucket was attached.
Cranes which 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 that was called a boom. The boom was attached to a base that rotates. The wheel or the treadmill was a power-driven operation which had a drum with a rope which wrapped around it. This rope also had a hook which carried the weight and was attached to a pulley at the top of the boom.
Within Europe, the enormous cathedrals established during the Middle Ages were made utilizing cranes. Cranes were also used to unload and load ships within major ports. Over time, significant advancements in crane design evolved. For example, a horizontal boom was added to and became known as the jib. This boom addition allowed cranes to have the ability to pivot, thus greatly increasing the equipment's range of motion. After the 16th century, cranes had included 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, electric motors and internal combustion or IC engines 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 also with their new power sources and hence finish larger jobs in less time.