City Cranes
"City Crane" is a term utilized to define small 2-axle mobile cranes which could operate in compact areas where the standard crane cannot access. These city cranes are great alternatives for use within buildings or through gated places.
In the 1990s, city cranes were originally developed in response to the growing urban density within Japan. There are continually new construction projects cramming their ways into the cities in Japan, making it vital for a crane to have the ability to navigate the nooks and crannies of Japanese streets.
Essentially, city cranes are small rough terrain cranes that are built to be road legal. These cranes are characterized by having a 2-axle design with independent steering on each axle, a short chassis, a slanted retractable boom and a single cab. The slanted retractable boom design takes up a lot less space than a comparable horizontal boom would. Combined with the independent steering and the short chassis, the city crane can turn in tight spots which will be otherwise unaccessible by other kinds of cranes.
Conventional Truck Crane
Traditional truck cranes are mobile cranes with lattice booms. This boom is a lot lighter boom than is found with a hydraulic truck crane boom. The many sections on a lattice boom could be added so that the crane can reach over and up an obstacle. Traditional truck cranes do not lower and raise their loads with any hydraulic power and require separate power to be able to move down and up.
Manitowoc made the first ever Speedcrane. It proved to be a successful device though a lot of adjustments had to be added later on. Manitowoc hired Roy Moore as a crane designer to help streamline the design. He knew the industry was changing towards internal combustion engines from original steam powered means and designed his crane to change with the times. The Speedcrane was redesigned for a gasoline engine.