City Cranes
"City Crane" is a term utilized to define small 2-axle mobile cranes that can operate in tight areas where the typical crane cannot access. These city cranes are popular choices to be used in buildings or through gated areas.
During 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 the cities in Japan, making it necessary for a crane to have the ability to navigate the nooks and crannies of Japanese streets.
Basically, city cranes are small rough terrain cranes that are built 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 less space than a comparable horizontal boom would. Combined with the short chassis and the independent steering, the city crane can turn in tight spots that will be otherwise unobtainable 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 many sections on a lattice boom can be added so that the crane could reach up and over an obstacle. Traditional truck cranes need separate power to be able to move down and up and do not raise and lower their loads using any hydraulic power.
The first ever Speedcrane was built by Manitowoc. It was a successful device even if further adjustments needed to be added. 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 means and designed his crane to change with the times. The Speedcrane was redesigned for a gasoline engine.