The World’s Biggest Construction Vehicles

We usually focus on the amazing results of extraordinary construction projects on our blog, but those spectacular creations don’t build themselves. It’s time to pay the proper respect to some of the machines that make jaw-dropping construction possible, especially those epic forces of man-made innovation that tower above the rest.

So here they are—in the world of construction vehicles, these are the five biggest and baddest:

Krupp Bagger 288: World’s Largest Trencher

To put it lightly, the Bagger 288 is a bucket-wheel excavator. But there’s nothing light about a 13,500-ton mobile strip miner. The German creation is 721 feet long, 315 feet high, and can clear an area the size of a football field three stories deep—in just one day.

Armored Caterpillar D9R

Its nickname is Doobi (Hebrew for teddy bear) but this heavily armored bulldozer is anything but soft and cuddly. With 15 tons of Israeli-engineered armor protecting the entire machine and bulletproof windows sealing in the cabin, this monster machine is equipped for construction, rescue, demolition, and even defending itself with custom-fitted grenade launchers and machine guns.

Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1

The Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1 telescopic crane is ridiculous. It can lift up to 1,200 tons. It’s boom extends to 100 meters long with up to 126 meters of additional lattice. Rolling along on a nine-axle suspension, this bad boy can handle any job. Disc brakes come standard.

LeTourneau L-2350 Front End Loader

The world’s largest rubber-tire front loading vehicle of its kind, the L-2350’s bucket is roughly the size of a studio apartment. It has a 2,300 horsepower engine capable of lifting up to 160,000 lbs. The operator stands two stories off the ground, and the mammoth bucket extends to a maximum height of nearly 44 feet.

Rusch Triple 34-25 with Genesis 2500 Demolition Shear

Quite possibly the largest demolition shear in the world, the Genesis 2500 wields devastating power, especially mounted on the Rusch excavator. It is a destruction machine with Godzilla-like force.


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