City Cranes
The term "City Crane" refers to a small 2-axle mobile crane that is designed to be used particularly in compact areas where standard cranes could not venture. These city cranes are popular choices for use through gated places or inside buildings.
In the 1990s, city cranes were initially developed in response to the growing urban density in Japan. There are always new construction projects cramming their ways into Japanese cities, making it necessary for a crane to have the ability to steer through the nooks and crannies of Japanese streets.
Essentially, city cranes are small rough terrain cranes which 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 less space than a comparable horizontal boom would. Combined with the short chassis and the independent steering, the city crane is capable of turning in compact spots which would be otherwise unaccessible by other crane models.
Conventional Truck Crane
Traditional truck cranes are mobile cranes with lattice booms. This boom is much lighter boom than is found with a hydraulic truck crane boom. The multiple sections on a lattice boom could be added so that the crane can reach over and up an obstacle. Conventional 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 machine though many adjustments needed 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 methods and designed his crane to change with the times. The Speedcrane was redesigned for a gasoline engine.