City Cranes
The term "City Crane" means a small 2-axle mobile crane which is designed to be utilized specially in compact places where regular cranes could not venture. These city cranes are great choices for use through gated places or in buildings.
City cranes were initially developed during the 1990s as a response to the increasing urban density within Japan. There are always new construction projects cramming their ways into Japanese cities, making it vital for a crane to have the ability to navigate the nooks and crannies of Japanese streets.
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 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 is capable of turning in compact spots that will be otherwise unaccessible by other crane designs.
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 lower and raise their cargo with any hydraulic power and need separate power in order to move up and down.
Manitowoc built the very first ever Speedcrane. It proved to be a successful device though a lot of adjustments had to be added later on. Manitowoc hired Roy Moore as a crane designer to help streamline the design. He understood the industry was changing 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.