City Cranes
The term "City Crane" refers to a small 2-axle mobile crane that is designed to be used specially in tight areas where standard cranes could not venture. These city cranes are great alternatives to be used through gated places or within buildings.
City cranes were originally developed in 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 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 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 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 unaccessible by other crane models.
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 could be added so that the crane could reach over and up an obstacle. Traditional truck cranes do not lower and raise their cargo utilizing any hydraulic power and need separate power in order to move down and up.
Manitowoc built the first ever Speedcrane. It proved to be a successful machine although lots of adjustments needed to be added later on. Manitowoc hired Roy Moore as a crane designer to help streamline the design. He understood the industry was moving towards IC engines from original steam powered means and designed his crane to change with the times. The Speedcrane was redesigned for a gasoline engine.