The World’s Biggest, Strongest and Tallest Cranes

When it comes to the biggest and strongest machines in construction, cranes usually both outweigh and out-power every single piece of heavy lifting equipment in the yard. These powerhouses of the construction world help make what seems impossible possible, often lifting other pieces of heavy machinery into place. Some of the world’s largest construction companies use these mega machines to build mega structures; let’s take a look at three of the biggest, strongest and ultimately 'nastiest' cranes in the world.

Tadano GR-1450EX-2

The number three spot in terms of lifting power on the ground has to go to the GR-1450EX-2, a rough-terrain crane developed by the Japanese company Tadano. This conventional lifting rig has less than conventional specs when it comes to lifting power. Weighing in at over 145 tonnes, this monster of a crane features three axels to provide a sturdy yet manoeuvrable base of function, combined with a six-axle, single cylinder telescopic boom that spans 61 metres. Using its two-stage lattice hydraulic tilt-jib that bi-folds, this mega crane adds an impressive 18 metres to the existing 61-metre main boom arm. Impressive.

Featuring Tadano’s custom Hello-Net remote controls system integrated as standard, the GR-1450EX-2 is able to feed telemetry data to a computer or mobile device for a full diagnostics and operational integrity report in the palm of your hands. While cranes with the lifting power of this puppy are not all that common, it’s becoming hugely important for fleet and site managers to know exactly what operations are going on with their machines. This means a more efficient worksite and also enables them maintain the highest level of safety on the job.

Taisun

The second super crane on our list is the ol’ Gantry Crane 2.0. Also named the Taisun, after the biggest mountain in the Shandong province of China, this gantry crane features the ability lift over 20,000 tonnes in a single shot. After taking over seven years to arrange and plan, it took a further year to be constructed and tested. Once put into work, it lifts an average of 7-10,000 tonnes per lift and is able to operate quickly and with an efficiency that is unmatchable for a gantry crane.

The Taisun is the world’s strongest crane available today, and with its ability to be able to lift over 10,000 cars in a single lift, you can see how it made a name for itself in the world of heavy lifting equipment. This beast of a machine is built for the single purpose of lifting semi submersibles in the Yantai Raffles shipyard in Shandong. Holding the Guinness World Record for the heaviest weight ever lifted by a crane, Taisun is a formidable force in lifting.

Kockums Crane

 

The world’s biggest crane in existence today in terms of sheer size is still considered to be the Kockums Crane. This mega crane was built in 1973 in Sweden to be used in the Malmo docks as its main heavy lifting crane. Used to build over 75 ships in its time, the Kockums Crane stands at a height of 138 metres, with a rail width of 175 metres and features a rail length of a staggering 710 metres. These large numbers do not take away from the Kockums ability to lift heavy loads at such a height, with regular lifts of 1,500 tonnes made easy. The Kockums was later sold to Hyundai Heavy Industries and now resides in Ulsan, South Korea where it stands tall above the crowd to still be crowned the king of all cranes.

 

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