City Cranes
"City Crane" is a term used to define small 2-axle mobile cranes that can operate in tight spaces where the standard crane could not access. These city cranes are great choices to be utilized within buildings or through gated areas.
In the 1990s, city cranes were initially 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 necessary for a crane to have the ability to steer through the nooks and crannies of Japanese streets.
Basically, city cranes are small rough terrain cranes that are made to be road legal. These cranes are characterized by having a 2-axle design with independent steering on each axle, a single cab, a short chassis and a slanted retractable boom. 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 could turn in tight spots which would be otherwise unaccessible by other crane designs.
Conventional Truck Crane
Conventional 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 could reach over and up an obstacle. Traditional truck cranes do not raise and lower their cargo utilizing any hydraulic power and require separate power in order to move up and down.
Manitowoc made the very first ever Speedcrane. It proved to be a successful device though a lot of adjustments needed to be added later on. Manitowoc hired Roy Moore as a crane designer to help streamline the design. He understood the industry was moving towards IC engines from original steam powered methods and designed his crane to change with the times. The Speedcrane was redesigned for a gasoline engine.