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 could not access. These city cranes are great choices to be used inside buildings or through gated places.
City cranes were initially developed during the 1990s as a response to the increasing urban density in Japan. There are always new construction projects cramming their ways into Japanese cities, 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 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 compact spots which would be otherwise unobtainable by other crane models.
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 can reach over and up an obstacle. Traditional truck cranes do not lower and raise their cargo using any hydraulic power and need separate power to be able to move up and down.
Manitowoc built the first ever Speedcrane. It proved to be a successful device although many 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 moving 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.