The Most Common Crane Facts

A crane is a construction machine that has the capability to raise and to lower very heavy items or objects and to move them horizontally. Cranes differ from the hoists, mainly because the hoists can lift heavy objects but cannot move them horizontally or sideways. The word crane comes from the fact that these machines have shape which is similar to the shape of a tall long necked bird that has the same name- Crane.

People have used many different types of devices in order to lift heavy materials since ancient times. The “shaduf” was one of the earliest form of the crane. It was used in ancient Egypt to move water about four thousand years ago. Even today the shaduf is still used in some rural areas in Egypt and India.

The first ever cranes which were used for lifting heavy materials were invented in ancient Greece. By examining the Greek architecture that dates back to 515 BC, the archaeologists have discovered evidence that points to the necessary presence and usage of a lifting device like the crane.

In the first century the cranes that were used to lift heavy materials and objects were mainly powered by humans or animals. These cranes were consisted of a long wooden beam, which was known as a boom, and this beam was connected to a rotating base. The Treadwheel cranes come into action in the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance. The stationary harbor cranes were also invented in the middle ages. Many of these cranes are present even today in harbors like Trier- Germany, Copenhagen- Denmark, and Gdansk- Poland. An important moment in the development of the cranes occurred in the Middle Age, when a horizontal arm, which was known as a “jib”, was attached to the boom. In the sixteen century, two treadmills were used for building a crane, one on each side.

Cranes were powered by people or animals until the nineteenth century, when steam engines were invented. At the beginning of the 20^th century, internal combustion engines and electrical motors replaced the steam engines to power the cranes. From the 20^th century, the steel became the material to be used when building the cranes. In the first half of the 20^th century the cranes in Europe and United States were built in different ways. In Europe the cranes were built in the form of tall and slender tower. In the United States the cranes were built with a boom connected to a trolley which could be moved from one location to another easily.

Many world famous politicians started as a crane operators. Two politicians in the United States in the legislative branch of the state government, several British and Australian MP's, and several English authors have worked as a crane operators in their early days. The most internationally known crane operator was Anna Walentynowicz. Her fight for better working conditions and better human rights led to the foundation of the Solidarity Free Trade Union.