TIL the first mobile crane was basically a steam tractor with a hook

I was watching a show about old machines on TV last night and they had a segment on construction history. They said the first real mobile crane was built in 1895 by a company in Chicago. It was literally just a steam powered tractor that they stuck a basic boom and hook on. I always figured mobile cranes came along much later, like maybe the 1930s or something. It's wild to think guys were moving loads with that over a hundred years ago, with no real cab or modern controls. Makes you appreciate how far the gear has come. I can't imagine running a steam engine while trying to manage a lift. Has anyone else seen pictures or info about these really old rigs?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo_ellis7d ago

Yeah that's a good point from @mason283 about the horse-drawn ones. I read an article once about how they had these big wooden cranes on wheels at the London docks, pulled by teams of horses to different spots along the wharf. So the need to move a crane around was definitely there. The steam tractor version just took out the horses, which is a huge deal. But you're right, it's still just a basic machine with a hook, no real fine control. I bet it was slow and kind of scary to operate.

mason2838d ago

Actually, the 1895 one is often called the first truck-mounted crane. The idea of a mobile lifting machine goes back way further. I've read about horse-drawn cranes with a boom and winch that were used in ports in the early 1800s, moving around on wheels. So the concept was there, just not self-powered. That Chicago machine was the big leap because it put steam power and mobility together in one unit. It's still super early and your main point about it being basic gear is totally right.