Early Crane Evolution
Over 4000 years ago, early Egyptians made the first recorded kind of a crane. The original device was called a shaduf and was first used to transport water. The crane was made out of a long pivoting 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.
In the first century, cranes were made to be powered by animals or humans that were moving on a treadmill or a wheel. These cranes had a long wooden boom called a beam. The boom was connected to a base which rotates. The treadmill or the wheel was a power-driven operation that had a drum with a rope that wrapped around it. This rope also had a hook that carried the weight and was attached to a pulley at the top of the boom.
Within Europe, the huge cathedrals established during the Middle Ages were made utilizing cranes. Cranes were also designed to unload and load ships in key ports. Eventually, major crane design developments 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, therefore really increasing the range of motion for the equipment. After the 16th century, each side of a rotating housing which held the boom incorporated two treadmills.
Cranes utilized animals and humans for power until the mid-19th century. This all changes quickly once steam engines were developed. At the turn of the century, electric motors as well as internal combustion or IC engines emerged. Additionally, cranes became designed out of cast iron and steel rather than wood. The new designs proved more efficient and longer lasting. They can obviously run longer too with their new power sources and therefore carry out bigger tasks in less time.