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Which excavator is the largest walking dragline in the world? Super-giants, which you would not find on the streets of any city, are represented to your attention.
The largest bucket wheel excavator
The largest rotary mining excavator in the world until 1995 was ‘Bagger 288’, which was released in 1978. In the mid-1990s, the German company Takraf produced a huge monster ‘Bagger 293’. From that moment on, disputes began, which one is better. Different sources give different sizes of models. Thus, Bagger 288 length, according to one data, is 240 m, to the other – 220 m, while Bagger 293 reaches 225 m in length. The other dimensions of the two vehicles are similar (height – 96 m, width – 46 m). The weight varies – 13,500 against 14,200 tons. From this fact, we can conclude that Bagger 293 has moved its predecessor from the pedestal.
Continuing the comparison, we note a different speed of movement of cars: 6 km/h – an indicator for Bagger 293 and 0.6 km/h – for Bagger 288. The latter in the early 2000s had to overcome 22 km (distance from one quarry to the other). The trip took three weeks. Thanks to 12 tracks with a width of almost 4 m, a minimum ground pressure is created, so the soil is not damaged when moving.
Hold on, Guinness! BelAZ is driving
Both cars continue to work today in Germany’s quarries. To serve a heavier one, 5 employees are required at once, while Bagger 288 needs a team of 4 specialists. In the cabins of those, there are workshops for repair works onsite and a bathroom for operators.
What is the biggest walking excavator in the world?
Big Muskie 4250W is a powerful walking excavator. The weight of the giant is 13,000 tons, and two buses would fit into its 168 cubic meter bucket. The quarry equipment operated from 1969 to 1999, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For 30 years, the American vehicle has completely exhausted coal reserves in the career of Central Ohio Coals (460 million cubic meters of rock), after which the monster was dismantled and taken away. In view of this, Big Muskie cannot stand on the podium. In addition, in some sources, it is mentioned that at the first attempt to “step” away from the supporting surfaces, the machine was deformed. After that, the giant was moved back on a previously prepared track.
Bulldozers, dozens of years later
The most important walking excavator in the world can be considered ESh 65.100 (“Uralmash”). Today it is exploited in Siberia, Russia. The weight of the car reaches almost 5.5 thousand tons. A trenching bucket with a capacity of 65 m3 is capable of digging the earth at a 46-meter depth. The Russian giant is equipped with four electric motors with an aggregate capacity of 9,000 kW.
The world’s largest hydraulic excavator
The world’s largest hydraulic excavator is the 980-ton Bucyrus RH400, which was released in 1997. The equipment cost then its customer $14 million. The most expensive of all equipment were two Cummins engines with a capacity of 2,300 hp each (more than 4 million dollars).
The carrying capacity of the super machine is amazing: a bucket with capacity of 45 m3 is capable of lifting 100 tons of material (9,900 tons per hour).