NASA-Crawler-Transporter

In 1965, NASA developed two crawler-transporters to carry rockets to their launch pads. At the time, these massive space shuttle transporters – measuring 39,929 metres long by 34,747 metres wide, and over 6,096 metres in height – were the largest self-powered land vehicles in the world.

The transporters, which are named Hans and Franz, are now used to transport shuttles between the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Complex 39.

Bagger 288

On its completion in 1978, Bagger 288 – a bucket-wheel excavator that stands 94,79 metres tall, is 214,88 metres long and weighs 41276,9 tonnes – superseded NASA’s Crawler Transporter as the largest land vehicle in the world. It still holds the title today.

This monstrous machine is used in the Hambach strip mine in Germany, and excavates up to 240 000 tons of coal a day. That’s equivalent to the size of a 30,5 metre-deep soccer field!

Caterpillar 797B

The 797B is the second-generation model in Caterpillar’s 797 range of mechanical powertrain haul trucks manufactured specifically for high-production mining and heavy-duty construction application. Following in the footsteps of its mammoth predecessor, this model has a payload capacity of 345 tonnes – one of the largest in the world.

BelAZ 75710

This massive ultra-class haul truck is 20,6 metres in length – equal to the length of two double-decker buses parked end-to-end – 8,16 metres tall and 9,87 metres wide.

Constructed for a Russian mining company, the BelAZ 75710 weighs in at 360 tonnes, which is more than a fully-loaded Airbus A380 passenger plane. It has a payload capacity of 408,233 tonnes – the largest capacity of any dump truck.

Dodge Power Wagon

This gigantic pick-up truck is a super-sized replica of a classic 1950s Dodge Power Wagon. Roughly eight times the size of the original Dodge, this gigantic vehicle weighs more than 50 tonnes and features an entire apartment inside.

Commissioned by wealthy Sheikh Hamad, the truck’s interior boasts four air-conditioned bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a tailgate terrace. Not surprisingly, this monstrous vehicle holds the title of largest pick-up truck ever made.

**Prelude FLNG

Part of joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell, KOGAS and Inpex, the Prelude is the world’s first floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project. It was built to access new natural gas fields at sea that were previously either too difficult or too expensive to develop.

At 488 metres long – longer than the length of four soccer fields – and 74 metres wide, the Prelude FLNG is the world’s largest floating offshore facility, as well as the largest ship ever built.

Antonov an-225 Mriya

This cargo plane was designed by the Soviet Union’s Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s for strategic military airlifts. The Soviets were known for building large aircraft, and the Mriya is no exception. At 83,82 metres long, with a weight of 285 tonnes, a wing span of 88,39 metres and a cargo space large enough to hold 50 cars, Mriya is both the largest and the heaviest aeroplane on Earth.

Liebherr T282B

This monstrous off-highway, ultra-class haul dump truck is used primarily in gold, coal, copper and iron mining operations. Measuring 15,24 metres long by 9,75 metres wide, with a height of 7,620 metres and a payload capacity of 363 tonnes, the Liebherr T282B is the second-largest capacity dump truck in the world (after the BelAZ 75710).

This gigantic vehicle, which features a 20-cylinder diesel engine that produces 3,750 horsepower, can reach a maximum speed of 64 kilometres per hour.

The Terex/Bucyrus RH400

This massive front-shovel hydraulic excavator was originally launched by Terex in Germany in 1997 – a company that was later acquired by Bucyrus in 2010, and then by Caterpillar in 2011.

The Bucyrus RH400 has an undercarriage width of 8,6 metres, a height of 10,175 metres (at the top of the cab) and a crawler length of 10,98 metres. It’s powered by two 16-cylinder diesel engines, weighs approximately 889 tonnes and has a bucket capacity of 45 cubic metres per shovel load.