City Cranes
The term "City Crane" refers to a small 2-axle mobile crane which is made to be utilized specially in tight areas where regular cranes can not venture. These city cranes are popular alternatives to be used through gated areas or within buildings.
City cranes were initially developed during the 1990s as a response to the increasing urban density in Japan. There are continually new construction projects cramming their ways into Japanese cities, making it vital for a crane to have the ability to maneuver 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 is capable of turning in compact spots which will be otherwise unobtainable by other types 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 multiple sections on a lattice boom are able to be added so that the crane can reach up and over an obstacle. Traditional truck cranes do not lower and raise their loads using any hydraulic power and need separate power to be able to move up and down.
Manitowoc built the very first ever Speedcrane. It proved to be a successful machine 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 understood 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.