Bigger is not always better. Such is the case of a small lifting machine, called a mini-crane, that has been advancing rigging and hoisting work needed to replace a large tower crane that partially collapsed in Midtown Manhattan last October during Superstorm Sandy.
The unusual work requires crews to cut down, remove and then replace a crane-jib superstructure that is bolted to a tower mast about 1,000 ft in the air, a task that has called for specialized equipment and engineering. According to experts on the job, a tower crane has never been replaced at that height before.