City Cranes
The term "City Crane" means a small 2-axle mobile crane which is designed to be used specially in tight places where standard cranes are unable to venture. These city cranes are great alternatives for use in 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 roads.
Essentially, city cranes are small rough terrain cranes which are built 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 a lot 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 tight spots which would be otherwise unaccessible by other crane designs.
Conventional Truck Crane
Conventional 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 up and over an obstacle. Conventional truck cranes do not lower and raise their loads with any hydraulic power and need separate power to be able to move up and down.
Manitowoc made the very first ever Speedcrane. It proved to be a successful device although many 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 methods and designed his crane to change with the times. The Speedcrane was redesigned for a gasoline engine.