City Cranes
"City Crane" is a term utilized to define small 2-axle mobile cranes that can operate in compact spaces where the standard crane could not access. These city cranes are great choices to be used through gated places or within buildings.
During the 1990s, city cranes were initially developed in response to the growing urban density within 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 roads.
Basically, 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 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 could turn in compact spots that would be otherwise unobtainable by other crane designs.
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 many sections on a lattice boom could be added so that the crane could reach over and up an obstacle. Conventional truck cranes need separate power to be able to move down and up and do not raise and lower their loads utilizing any hydraulic power.
Manitowoc made the very first ever Speedcrane. It proved to be a successful machine although lots 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 moving 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.