City Cranes
The term "City Crane" refers to a small 2-axle mobile crane that is designed to be utilized specifically in compact places where standard cranes are unable to venture. These city cranes are popular alternatives for use through gated places or in buildings.
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 the cities in Japan, making it necessary for a crane to have the ability to navigate the nooks and crannies of Japanese roads.
Basically, city cranes are small rough terrain cranes which are made to be road legal. These cranes are characterized by having a 2-axle design with independent steering on each axle, a slanted retractable boom, a single cab and a short chassis. The slanted retractable boom design takes up much 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 will be otherwise unaccessible by other kinds of cranes.
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 can be added so that the crane can reach over and up an obstacle. Conventional truck cranes do not lower and raise their cargo using any hydraulic power and require separate power to be able to move up and down.
Manitowoc built the first ever Speedcrane. It proved to be a successful device though lots 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 methods and designed his crane to change with the times. The Speedcrane was redesigned for a gasoline engine.