A knuckleboom crane — also called an articulating or knuckle-boom crane — folds like a human arm at the "knuckle" joint. That fold is what lets us pick a load up on the street, swing it over a parapet, and set it down inside a courtyard, on a rooftop, or through a narrow window opening that a straight-stick crane can't touch. In dense New York City job sites, the knuckleboom is often the only way in.
Trinchese Boom Service runs a fleet of Fassi F1950 knuckleboom trucks throughout the five boroughs. We provide the crane and the operator. Every lift is planned, rigged, and executed by our own crew. We are fully licensed and insured in New York City and we work 24/7.
What a Knuckleboom Crane Does Best
- Over-the-building lifts — swing loads over rooflines, parapets, and scaffolding into rear yards.
- Rooftop deliveries — HVAC units, generators, water tanks, solar racking, cooling towers.
- Tight-street setups — narrow Brooklyn and Queens side streets where a conventional mobile crane can't outrig.
- Precision placement — steel beams, precast, curtain wall panels, sculpture and stone.
- Reach past obstructions — trees, overhead wires, adjacent structures.
Why the Fassi 1950
The Fassi F1950 is a heavy-class articulating boom crane engineered for high lift moments in a compact truck footprint. That combination — big capacity, small footprint — is exactly what NYC lifts demand. Paired with jibs and a full rigging inventory, our trucks handle steel, sheetrock, rebar, block, HVAC, generators, and a wide range of over-the-building material handling.
Knuckleboom vs. Straight-Stick Boom Truck
A straight-stick boom truck telescopes out in one line. A knuckleboom folds. If your load has to clear a building, thread a courtyard opening, or land on a roof set back from the street, a knuckleboom is usually the right tool. If it's a long straight reach with no obstructions, a conventional mobile crane or straight-stick boom truck may be faster. On any estimate, we'll tell you which one your job calls for.
Knuckleboom Crane FAQ
- No. Trinchese Boom Service does not rent bare cranes. Every knuckleboom lift includes our certified operator and rigging crew. You get the crane, the operator, the rigger, and full insurance in one call.
- All five boroughs — Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Our home base is Brooklyn, so we are on-site fast in Brooklyn and Queens.
- Capacity depends on radius (how far the load is from the truck), setup, and rigging. Send us the load weight, the address, and a photo of the site and we'll tell you exactly what's possible.
- Most street setups in NYC require a DOT permit and often FDNY coordination. We handle permitting guidance as part of the estimate.
- Yes — fully licensed and insured for crane work in New York City.
- Yes. We run 24/7 to accommodate street closures, off-hour DOT windows, and emergency lifts.