7 impressive construction machine world records

There is almost a world record for anything one can think of- tallest man, oldest person alive, largest pizza ever made, and how many caps can a person remove using an excavator in under one minute.

Over the years, there has been several record breaking feats attempted using construction machines, some jaw-dropping and some just plain ridiculous but impressive, nonetheless.

Here are seven we found that were officially recorded in Guinness World Records.

Weighing a whopping 152 tonnes and with a blade measuring 7.4m x 3.25m, Komatsu’s D575A has been named the largest production bulldozer in the world.

With a power output of 1150hp, the machine was sold all around the world, some even made their way to Australia with rippers attached.

The dozer was used a lot in surface mines or for ripping the ground up, especially where conventional methods such a blasting are not allowed due to safety and noise constraints.

In fact, these beasts are so massive that they needed to be broken down to be transported from one job site to another.

Wheel loaders are not exactly a speed junkie’s cup of tea, as these machines are only designed to travel up to 50km/h at most. But a bunch of Swedish technicians decided to truly test the limits of these machines when they tinkered around with a Volvo wheel loader.

The technicians from Swecon, a Swedish Volvo construction equipment dealer, fitted the machine with firmer tyres and a bucket fitted with a spoiler for improved aerodynamics; gave it an engine tune and removed some excess weight. Hence, the Volvo L60G PCP was born.

On September 13, 2012, the team took the machine out to Sweden’s Eskilstuna Airport to give the modified loader a run on a 1.8km stretch on runway and see how fast it can go.

It successfully achieved a top speed of 120km/h, smashing its way into the Guinness World Records.

Remember Jenga, the stumbling wooden block game we all loved and still love to play at family gatherings? Now imagine one that’s 6m tall!

What does this have to do with construction machinery, you ask? Well, this record of largest game of Jenga was specifically played with a fleet of Caterpillar earthmoving machinery, including excavators, telehandlers and loaders. Because how else can you play a larger-than-life Jenga game?

In 2019, as part of its 'Cat Trials' series, Caterpillar set out to create a challenge to showcase just what its machines are capable of.

For the game, 27 giant blocks of laminated pine beams, each measuring 243.8 cm long, 81.2cm wide and 40.6cm high were created. Each block weighed approximately 272kg, which meant the conventional method of picking the blocks out and stacking them by hand is out of the question.

After plenty of research and practice to ensure the challenge can be executed safely, Caterpillar chose a 320E excavator, TH514C telehandler, 277D multi-terrain loader, M316D material handler and 349E excavator as the “players” to play the game.

Nine layers of blocks were stacked on top of each other, just like your typical game of Jenga, except this one was much, much larger and more complicated.

One conductor monitored and led the game from the ground, providing instructions to machine operators on moves to make to safely remove the blocks and placing them on top of the stack.

The game continued for 28 hours, during which 16 blocks were removed and four layers were added to the top, meaning the game ended with 13 layers.

The stack eventually reached a peak height of 6m, successfully earning itself a place in Guinness World Records.

The largest self-propelled vehicle on earth, according to Guinness World Records, is the beast that is the 14,196-tonne Bagger 293 bucket wheel excavator, manufactured by MAN TAKRAF of Leipzig, Germany.

The machine is 220m long, 94.5m tall at its highest point, and is capable of shifting 240,000 cubic-metres of earth per day. It was in use at an open-cast coal mine in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia.

Not your typical excavator, the Bagger 293 has 18 buckets - each with a volume of 6600 litres – which are fitted around a massive bucket wheel at the front of the machine. As the wheel revolves, the buckets scoop up earth and then dump it onto a conveyor belt to be carried away. The bucket wheel itself measures 21.6m - as tall as a four-storey building!

This is a special one as this record was attempted in our very own backyard, more specifically in Queensland, and was done to raise funds for a special cause.

In 2019, Norman Bartie successfully completed a 5,649km journey on a JCB backhoe loader over five and a half weeks from Brisbane to Canberra and back again.

While a significant personal achievement for Bartie, the attempt was not done for his own satisfaction, but rather to raise awareness on child safety.

A father of six himself, Bartie set out to highlight the importance of protecting and educating children who have been affected by domestic violence, loss and trauma through his 'It's NOT Your Fault’ National Campaign.

In 2012, Jake R. Hatch from the USA broke the record for the longest wheelie on a skid loader at the Taylor Rodeo Grounds in Taylor, Arizona.

For the attempt, Hatch used a Bobcat skid steer and did a wheelie, which means driving the machine on two wheels, for a distance of 21.88m, successfully entering the record books. The most impressive thing was that Hatch didn’t just drive the Bobcat on its front wheels on flat ground the whole time. He drove it off a truck, up and down a tricky ramp all on just its front wheels.

Unsurprisingly, Hatch is a seasoned skid steer stuntman. In fact, he’s probably never done anything a skid steer is supposed to be used for. He runs Black Sheep Skid, a one man show entertainment company which does performances at events and shows, and films and shows off his mad skid steer skills on social media.

A strangely specific record but a valid and legitimate one nevertheless. While it sounds somewhat laughable, the skill and precision in attempting this record safely and efficiently is not to be underestimated!

In December 2022, excavator operator Zhu Fei from China went on the Italian record-breaking show, Lo Show Dei Record in Monza, Italy, to make this attempt.

Models wearing caps on their heads stood in line to have their caps removed one by one by Zhu, who picked them off using a grapple attachment on a LiuGong excavator.

In one minute, Zhu Fei successfully removed 15 caps. Coincidentally, Zhu was also the record holder for ‘The fastest time to remove six caps using an excavator’, which was 21 seconds.

According to China Daily, Zhu is a veteran LiuGong excavator operator who has done plenty of stunts and fun stuff with an excavator including shooting a basetball, making a sandwich, counting bank notes and slicing a watermelon. Although using a machine to do those tasks does seem like a bit of an overkill!