City Cranes
The term "City Crane" means a small 2-axle mobile crane that is designed to be utilized specifically in compact places where standard cranes are unable to venture. These city cranes are popular choices to be used through gated places or in buildings.
City cranes were originally developed during the 1990s as a response to the increasing urban density in Japan. There are always new construction projects cramming their ways into Japanese cities, making it necessary for a crane to have the ability to maneuver through the nooks and crannies of Japanese streets.
Essentially, 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 slanted retractable boom, a single cab and a short chassis. 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 can turn in compact spots that would be otherwise unaccessible by other types 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 many sections on a lattice boom are able to be added so that the crane can reach over and up an obstacle. Conventional truck cranes need separate power to be able to move down and up and do not lower and raise their loads utilizing any hydraulic power.
The first ever Speedcrane was made by Manitowoc. It was a successful device even if further adjustments had 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 methods and designed his crane to change with the times. The Speedcrane was redesigned for a gasoline engine.