Early Crane Evolution
Over 4000 years ago, early Egyptians created the very first recorded version of a crane. The original apparatus was called a shaduf and was first 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 connected and on the other end of the beam, a bucket was attached.
In the first century, cranes were made to be powered by animals or humans that were moving on a wheel or a treadmill. These cranes had a long wooden boom known as 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 which wrapped around it. This rope additionally had a hook which carried the weight and was connected to a pulley at the top of the boom.
In Europe, the enormous cathedrals established in the Middle Ages were build utilizing cranes. Cranes were also designed to unload and load ships in major ports. Eventually, major advancements in crane design evolved. For example, a horizontal boom was added to and became known as the jib. This boom addition enabled cranes to have the ability to pivot, hence really increasing the equipment's range of motion. After the 16th century, each side of a rotating housing that held the boom incorporated two treadmills.
Even until the mid-19th century, cranes continued to depend on animals and humans for power. Once steam engines were developed, this all quickly changed. At the turn of the century, IC or internal combustion engines as well as electric motors emerged. Also, 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 larger tasks in less time.