A self-aligning and end fixity connector for connecting a hydraulic cylinder piston rod to its respective boom section in a multi-section telescopic boom assembly wherein the piston rod end is rigidly and fixedly secured to a structural part of one boom section. The cylinder barrel has a lost motion connection with a next adjacent boom section whereby slight movement in a vertical direction can occur between the cylinder barrel and said next adjacent boom section. The arrangement significantly increases the column loading capacity of telescoping crane boom hydraulic cylinders and reduces significantly the tendency for cylinders to bind with their piston rods due to inevitable cocking of boom sections.