The secret of one of the seven wonders of the world, the pyramid of Cheops, haunts scientists for more than three millennia. And if scientists over the past centuries have managed to figure out for whom and why they were built, then it was not possible to figure out how the ancient civilian builders purely physically erected structures to the end.

Counting the number of slabs that made up the highest pyramid of Egypt (2.5 million) and taking as a basis the average construction time of the pyramids of 20 years, the researchers calculated that it took no more than 2 minutes to lift one slab, each of which weighs 2.5 tons. . All this leads to the conclusion that some kind of lifting equipment was to help people, and not just equipment, but structures that corresponded in power and capabilities to the objects being built.

Unfortunately, we can only guess about the existence of ancient technology. But we know about the colossi that today are working in various parts of the world, erecting the most complex modern structures. They will be discussed in this article.

The largest tower crane in the world

Despite the fact that tower cranes are inferior to both crawler cranes and automobile cranes in terms of their lifting capacity, they are an indispensable attribute of any modern construction site. Tower cranes, placed both on the ground and on the structure itself, are able to easily lift materials to a considerable height and deliver loads to any point of the building under construction.

Among the record holders in a row tower cranes Kroll K-10000 is listed - a car that has already become truly historical. Its purpose, however, is not in the construction of houses. These cranes have been used in energy construction, mainly in the construction of nuclear power plants, and have proven themselves excellently in the construction of structures where the required mass of mounted elements reaches 240 tons.

The production of K-10000 was discontinued after the construction of nuclear power plants was curtailed in the late 80s. Despite this, individual specimens continue to be used in a number of countries around the world, and each of them has its own rich history of life. By its design, the K-10000 is a two-tower mobile crane on rail. The height of the construction of two (main and auxiliary) cranes is 143 meters. Departure of an arrow - from 10 to 84 meters.

Biggest tower crane Kroll K-10000

In 2010, it became known about the plans of the Chinese company Zoomlion to assemble an overhead slewing tower crane of the same capacity - 240 tons, with a maximum working height of 210 meters (which can be jokingly compared to lifting 60 elephants to a height of 70 floors). Later, the company reported on the experience of operating a similar design (model D5200-240) on the construction of a suspension bridge pylon across the Yangtze River, and moreover, on passing an official examination for the highest carrying capacity. However detailed information about the development of Chinese specialists has not yet appeared.

Among other lifting champions (each in its category) working on world construction sites, we will name the tower crane Wilbert WT 2405L e.tronic with lifting boom(capacity - 128 tons), a Liebherr Heavy Load 4000 HC 100 top-slewing crane (it can handle 100 tons of cargo) and a Linden Comansa LC3000 headless tower crane (capable of lifting 64 tons).

Among top-slewing tower cranes of classic design, the Liebherr Heavy-Load HC series of cranes stands out today, designed specifically for very high heights while ensuring heavy duty. Model Heavy Load 4000 HC 100, maximum load capacity which is 100 tons, copes with lifting 22.5 tons of cargo to a height of 96 m. One of these cranes was delivered in February 2008 in South Korea Daewoo Shipbuilding Ltd. for moving heavy loads in the shipyard. Due to the large working radius (96 m), the crane can easily serve two ships at the same time.

The largest crawler crane in the world

Despite the fact that in the line of the Liebherr company mentioned above more than once there is a Liebherr LR 13000 crawler crane with a nominal lifting capacity of 3,000 tons, the Chinese have taken over the palm in this segment. In 2011, Sany, and a year later another manufacturer from China - XCMG - announced the release crawler cranes lifting 3600 tons of cargo (models SCC86000TM and XGC88000 respectively). And then there is the Zoomlion ZCC3200NP, lifting 3200 tons. The Chinese are getting serious!

Crawler crane Liebherr LR 13000

For example, let's talk more about one of these models. According to the manufacturer, the XCMG XGC88000 was developed with an eye to use in the petrochemical, coal, chemical industries, as well as in the construction of nuclear power plants. The crane was created in response to the needs and in cooperation with the Chinese oil company Sinopec (China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation). The goal of the project is the development of own technologies and the refusal to purchase foreign equipment.

The largest among special cranes

There are works that are hard to imagine how to do on land. What if you need to be in the middle of the ocean?

Saipem Mikoperi 7000, a giant crane, was created to perform complex tasks associated with being in the water. One of the largest floating cranes (or rather, two cranes working together) has a deck the size of two football fields. This "workaholic" can spend several months on the water and is able to lift both a drilling rig and a damaged vessel weighing up to 14,000 tons. The self-propelled floating crane employs highly qualified specialists, on average about 300 people. When the crane goes to sea to work, their number increases by another 100 people. To ensure a comfortable existence, there are canteens, cinemas, cafes and a hospital on board the crane ship.

Cranes built Italian company Monfalcone and started working in December 1986.

The leader among ship-cranes is Heerema Tnialf, which is able to lift and move cargo weighing up to 14,200 tons.

Crane-ship Heerema Tnialf

The world's largest fixed crane comes from China and is named Taysun. It started operating in April 2009. The crane is designed to lift a load weighing 20,000 tons. This weight will easily include 420 heavy or more than 20 thousand Zhiguli. The height of the crane is 133 m, the distance between spans is 20 m. A total length of cables is 50,000 m. The giant is intended for use in the construction of tankers and oil platforms.

The biggest among the smallest cranes

"The world's largest mini-faucet" is quite a pun. But this also happens. This title is currently held by the URW-1006 model. The crane has following characteristics: load capacity - 10 tons, lifting height - 30.7 m, overall width of the machine - 2 m. Arrow 6-section, telescopic. This is the first of the Unic cranes that can be used in load-carrying mode. It is capable of moving a lifted load weighing up to 1.5 tons.

The working special transport LTM 11200-9.1 can be called the largest truck crane, which is popular all over the world. It is equipped with the longest retractable telescopic boom among similar types of equipment and is a unique development of German manufacturers.

This special equipment can lift and move various cargo masses, the weight of which is 1200 tons with a reach of the boom device equal to 2.5 meters. This task is too difficult for the rest of the cranes produced on the planet.

The most powerful telescopic truck crane

Most big truck crane, the best in the world in terms of its lifting characteristics, has a retractable boom with a length of 18.3-100 m, with a unique lattice extension, the length of which can be equal to 24-126 meters. A similar special transport, activated by an 8-cylinder mounted on the chassis diesel engine Liebherr, running on a diesel fuel resource and equipped with a turbocharger, the power of which reaches 500 kW or 670 hp.

The crane installation is powered by a 6-cylinder engine of the same company with a capacity of 240 kW, operating on diesel fuel. The truck crane moves at a speed of up to 75 km/h and has a mass, together with a counterweight, of 202 tons.

The Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1 is 30 times more powerful than a conventional crane. The components from which it is assembled are brought to workplace 20th trucks, after which the crane is going to general design and ready to work for eight hours.

200 tons of crane weight and its working load are distributed to four paw pores, working on hydraulics. To distribute the pressure under each of these support devices, it is necessary to place platform supports made of thick iron. If the supports move, the crane may fall, which will lead to great destruction and complete failure of the equipment.

Characteristics of the Mammoth wheeled crane from the German company Liebherr

The booms of the largest truck crane in the world have strong cables that increase the power of the machine. Beneath the crane boom is a large counterweight system with 18 plates on a 22-ton base, each weighing 10 tons.

When lifting different loads, the supports are tested enough great pressure, therefore it is necessary to observe low speed this process. The truck crane control cabin contains monitors, where information about the magnitude of the load on each part appears.

The operation of the crane is controlled by operators who monitor the accuracy of operations, preventing backfire errors. LTM 11200-9.1 is used during the construction of bridges, telemasts, high-rise structures.

This unit can also load and unload equipment with large dimensions and other types of special equipment. In addition, this crane machine used during the construction of military experimental facilities, and costs 14 million dollars.

When might a specific and unique 500 ton truck crane be used? This large technique can only be used on giant objects with heavy structures that can not be moved by equipment with a small load capacity.

The largest truck cranes, which have gained worldwide recognition, allow the transfer of fairly heavy loads, have an increased value of cross-country ability, maneuverability and cruising speed. These advantages force road construction organizations to purchase this special equipment.

These truck cranes are so expensive that they cannot be purchased and fully maintained, so many companies consider renting a 500 ton truck crane the most the best remedy for use in a variety of construction sites.

We have all seen how cranes work, helping people to erect high-rise buildings and various structures. However, have you ever seen such a huge crane that is simply amazing in its size? Some cranes even managed to get into the Guinness Book of Records. What is he - the most big crane in the world? And what other cranes claim such a title?

The largest truck crane

Undoubtedly, the leadership among truck cranes belongs to the German crane LiebherrLTM-11200-9.1, which is also called the "Mammoth". This giant is even listed in the Book of Records. It is a self-propelled boom crane equipped with a telescopic boom. The boom is located on a 9-axle chassis with 18 driving wheels. The auto-extend boom consists of eight sections and is the longest in the world.

The standard model of this truck crane can lift 363 tons of cargo, however, when installed special equipment the carrying capacity increases to 1200 tons - the boom can withstand this load weight at a reach of 2.5 meters. The machine can lift the load by 180 meters, but in this case the maximum weight of the load can be only 1.3 tons.

The truck crane engine is an 8-cylinder unit for 680 Horse power running on diesel. As a counterweight, the weight of which is 202 tons, 32 plates are used, having same size. When such a counterweight becomes small, a special hydraulic equipment for balancing.

This "colossus" is used for large-scale construction (for example, heavy equipment, large ships) and when installing wind turbines. It takes approximately 8-10 hours to assemble a truck crane - most of the parts are brought in by trucks, the number of which is at least 20.

largest crawler crane

Here we can note the models of crawler cranes of Chinese companies - SCC86000TM (Sany) and XGC88000 (XCMG). The release of cranes that can lift up to 3600 tons, the companies announced in 2011. But there is already a Zoomlion ZCC3200NP crane, also from Chinese manufacturers.

It has a lifting capacity of 3200 tons, which is 200 tons more than the German tracked Liebherr cranes LR13000 (it can lift 3000 tons).

largest tower crane

Among tower cranes, Wolffkran's 1250V model is a giant. The value of the maximum load moment of the crane is 1500 tons, this giant is characterized by a lifting capacity of 60 tons. The maximum radius of the boom is 80 meters, and the load at the maximum radius, it can lift a weight of 11 tons.

This big crane immediately after the presentation went to his first job - to build a hydroelectric power station in Germany. The crane manufacturer claims that today it is very popular in many countries of the world (Europe, America, Australia, the Middle East). No more than 15 such cranes are produced per year, and the price for them is formed depending on the configuration, but still the cost is incredibly high. Therefore, in order to save money for customers, manufacturers even offer this crane for rent.

largest floating crane

The Italian company Monfalcone created a large crane for work on water - Saipem Mikoperi7000. It is one of the huge floating cranes (more precisely, these are two cranes working together), the deck of which can be compared in size with two football fields.

This "hard worker" can lift any drilling rig or vessel weighing up to 14,000 tons. The crane can work on the water surface for several months, about 300 specialists work on it - for them, the floating crane even provides canteens, cafes, a cinema and a hospital.

You can also note the floating crane of the Chinese company - DLV4400. As the name suggests, this crane has a lifting capacity of 4,400 tons. It is characterized by the presence of 7 diesel engines. The floating crane is 174 meters long and 48 meters wide. This giant can stay on the water surface for at least 60 days. It employs 250 people. It is used for lifting sunken ships and for offshore construction.

The largest stationary crane

Crane Chinese made able to lift a load weighing at least 20,000 tons. So, he can lift about 20,000 cars or 420 units of heavy vehicles. The height of this mighty crane is 133 meters, the distance between spans is 20 meters. This "colossus" is an excellent assistant for a person in the construction of tankers and oil platforms.

Taking into account the fact that in terms of carrying capacity tower cranes are inferior to both crawler and truck cranes, which are a mandatory attribute in any modern construction. Tower cranes can be placed on the ground or on a structure and can easily carry materials to great heights and deliver them to any place on the structure under construction.

Tower crane Kroll K-10000

As the highest in the world, the Kroll K-10000 can be noted - this is a technique that has actually become historical. But it is not intended for building houses. This type of cranes are widely used in power buildings, mainly during the construction of nuclear power stations, and has proven itself in the construction of facilities that require a large number of mounted elements having a mass of more than 240 tons. The production of the K-10000 was stopped after the construction of nuclear power plants was curtailed by the end of the eighties.

Given this, some pieces of equipment are still working in some countries, and each of them has a history. By design, the tallest tower crane in the world is a double-tower self-propelled equipment, which has a rail course. The height of the entire structure, which consists of two cranes of the main and auxiliary type, is 143 m. The boom can be thrown up to 84 meters.

Zoomlion - lifting capacity of 240 tons

But in 2010, the public learned about the plans of the Chinese company Zoomlion to release a top-slewing tower crane, which would have a lifting capacity of 240 tons, from the very great height work in 210 meters.

Then the company made a statement that the operation of this type of machine was carried out during the construction of a pylon for a suspension bridge that passes through the Yangtze River, where it also passed the test of lifting to the highest weight of the load. But the exact data about the development of engineers from China have not yet been published.

Among the other cranes, it is worth noting the high tower crane , which is operated on most construction sites in the world - Heavy load 4000 HC 100. Its carrying capacity is 100 tons. This model of crane was specially designed to lift loads to great heights.

Thus, this crane can lift more than 22 tons at 96 meters.