City Cranes
The term "City Crane" refers to a small 2-axle mobile crane that is designed to be used particularly in tight areas where regular cranes could not venture. These city cranes are popular choices for use inside buildings or through gated areas.
During the 1990s, city cranes were originally developed in response to the growing urban density within Japan. There are continually new construction projects cramming their ways into the cities in Japan, making it vital for a crane to have the ability to maneuver through 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 short chassis, a slanted retractable boom and a single cab. The slanted retractable boom design takes up much 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 that will be otherwise unobtainable by other kinds of cranes.
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 multiple sections on a lattice boom could be added so that the crane could reach over and up an obstacle. Conventional truck cranes require separate power in order to move down and up and do not lower and raise their cargo using any hydraulic power.
The very first ever Speedcrane was built by Manitowoc. It was a successful device even though further adjustments had to be added. Manitowoc hired Roy Moore as a crane designer to help streamline the design. He understood 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.