Rough-terrain crane
A self-propelled mobile crane on four large all-terrain tyres, designed for off-road lifting on unprepared sites but not licensed for highway travel.
A rough-terrain crane (RT crane) is a four-wheeled mobile crane built for off-road lifting work. It carries the operator, engine, telescopic boom, and counterweight on a single short, low chassis with four large all-terrain tyres and a single cab that serves as both driver's seat and crane controls. Steering is typically four-wheel, allowing tight turns and crab-walking on confined sites.
Unlike all-terrain cranes, RT cranes are NOT road-legal in most jurisdictions — they're trailered between jobs. That trade-off is intentional: the absence of a long highway-rated chassis means a shorter, more compact machine that handles muddy ground, slopes, and tight industrial yards better than its on-road cousins.
Lift capacities typically run 30 to 100 tonnes, though specialist machines reach higher. Common applications include oilfield work, refinery turnarounds, power-plant maintenance, and any site where a mobile crane needs to operate but won't move between sites in a single shift. Outriggers are mandatory for rated capacity; on-tyre lifting (rubber-tyre work) is permitted at significantly reduced capacity per the load chart.
When evaluating an RT crane, look at maximum lift capacity, full-power boom length (telescopic only, no luffing jib in most cases), ground clearance, drive configuration, and engine make. Cummins, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo diesels are the most common powerplants.