Editor’s Note: Above, you see both the Vinten Motorized Crane (color image) and the next generation of the crane called the Vinten Heron Crane which debuted at the BBC in 1955. I do not know when the first version shown here came out but my guess is 1951ish. Suffice it to say, with the problems it had, a major upgrade was sorely needed from the start. Below is a narrative written (originally in Spanish) from someone who was an operator on this early motor crane; Vicente Fuster. 
The Vinten Motorized basically consisted of a crane arm (or boom) mounted on a chassis. The arm was raised by an electric motor using a worm‑drive mechanism that turned a large gear, while the arm itself was counterbalanced by enormous springs. Even so, the crane’s construction limited how high the arm could actually reach.
No one could claim that raising the crane during a shot was a smooth action. The chassis had rear‑wheel steering, and those wheels were also powered by electric motors.
When the wheels turned to change direction, their speed remained constant — the result was the sensation of gaining speed the tighter the turn became. And the faster it seemed to move, the harder it became to correct the trajectory. It was truly an untamable machine.
In its original design, the operator drove it by walking behind the crane and handling a tiller that included the speed control. It was far too easy to lose control of the contraption.
The operator had to be careful when starting the crane, because if it was done too abruptly, the motors would swing violently to one side and the steering handle could easily be ripped out of his hands.
Later, a rear platform was added for the operator, and the tiller was replaced with a conventional steering wheel. A foot brake was added too. Even so, it remained a beast that was hard to tame. This motorized version was used as the main crane on the old Tonight program, presented by Cliff Michelmore.
The operator (yes, me) lived in constant fear that the rear end would swing sharply and crash into the fish tank that was part of the set.
AT THIS LINK IS MORE ON THE NEW HERON CRANE FROM MORE OPERATORS…
The Vinten Heron | The Tech-ops History Site
