These first crane powered by a single man could lift around 3.5 tonnes, with a mechanical advantage of 14 to 1. This tomb carving from 100 AD shows a treadwheel crane being used as described by Roman engineer and architect Vitruvius. The load could be lowered again by the wheel being moved in the opposite direction. The wheel had a 4 to 5 metre diameter so a person or people (usually slaves) could power the machine by walking inside it.Īttached to a pulley, the crane’s rope turned onto a spindle as the wheel moved to lift the load. This invention has stood the test of time as its first recorded use was in 230 BC and the design continued to be used until the late 19 th century. In today’s history lesson, here’s five facts about the impressive treadwheel crane… #1 – The treadwheel crane was invented in Ancient RomeĪlthough the first construction crane was invented by the Ancient Greeks, it was the innovative Romans who developed the treadwheel crane. This ancestor of our compact cranes may look like a giant wooden hamster wheel but it used pure man power to help build some of the most impressive buildings in Ancient Rome and Medieval Europe. Since we’re cranes mad here at GGR, we thought we’d take a closer look at the history of the treadwheel crane.
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