Crane Spotlight

By Seth Skydel

All-Terrain Cranes

Once valued primarily for their mobility, especially on urban jobsites and in challenging ground conditions, today’ s AT cranes are also being specified for their technological sophistication and environmental performance. From hybrid-electric concepts to advanced control systems and operator-assist technologies, AT cranes are evolving to meet both operational and regulatory pressures.

Manufacturers report rising demand for AT cranes for their inherent versatility. Multiple sectors are fielding the machines, driven by the need for the ability to travel easily to jobsites, perform reliably both on-road and offroad, set up quickly and deliver high lifting capacity with a minimal footprint, especially when work is performed in confined urban or industrial environments.

Industry leaders, including Manitowoc, Link-Belt and Tadano point to the versatility of AT cranes as the main reason that the mobile cranes have become increasingly valuable on a broader range of projects than ever before.

Driving Growth

According to Josh Boyer, all-terrain application sales manager at Manitowoc, the most active applications for AT cranes today include commercial construction projects.“ These cranes are especially active building new manufacturing plants, data centers, on oil, gas, petrochemical and other energy projects, and on infrastructure sites performing road, rail and bridge work,” he said.

At Link-Belt, Product Manager for All Terrain Cranes Andrew Soper also sees expansion across general construction and technology-related projects.“ With the proliferation of data centers and the ever-increasing scope of general construction projects, AT cranes are used in a wider array of jobs than ever before,” he said.“ They are now common for setting panels, loading and unloading components in laydown yards and for swinging steel.”

Tadano reported similar trends.“ ATs work well when jobsites require ease of mobility and strong lifting capacities,” said Dan Melnyk, vice president of mobile crane sales- North America.“ Demand has been strong across energy, civil, technology and new construction sectors because these cranes are ideally suited for tower crane and cell tower erection in urban construction, and general and heavy-lift applications.”

Flexibility

With customers seeking cranes that can adapt to many different site

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Tadano’ s newest AT cranes will include the six-axle AC 6.300-1 AT with a new rear Removable Outrigger Box to provide more transport flexibility and help with axle load requirements.

March 2026 • www. cranehotline. com