Early Crane Evolution
More than 4000 years ago, early Egyptians made the very first recorded type of a crane. The original apparatus was called a shaduf and was first used to transport water. The crane was made out of a pivoting long beam that balanced on a vertical support. On one end a bucket was attached and on the other end of the beam, a heavy weight was connected.
During the first century, cranes were built to be powered by humans or animals that were moving on a treadmill or a wheel. These cranes had a long wooden boom referred to as a beam. The boom was connected to a rotating base. The wheel or the treadmill was a power-driven operation that had a drum with a rope that wrapped around it. This rope also had a hook which was connected to a pulley at the top of the boom and lifted the weight.
Within Europe, the enormous cathedrals established in the Middle Ages were build using cranes. Cranes were also utilized to load and unload ships in key ports. Over time, significant developments 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 really increasing the machine's range of motion. Following 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 rely on animals and humans for power. When steam engines were developed, this all rapidly changed. At the turn of the century, electric motors as well as internal combustion or IC engines emerged. Cranes also became designed out of steel and cast iron rather than wood. The new designs proved more efficient and longer lasting. They could obviously run longer as well with their new power sources and thus carry out bigger tasks in less time.