10 Biggest Draglines 2026 That Were Too Powerful For Earth

These are the 10 biggest draglines and stripping shovels ever built, ranked by operating weight. From Big Brutus in Kansas to the undisputed king Big Muskie in Ohio, these machines weigh more than ocean-going cargo ships and consume enough electricity to power entire towns.

One was buried alive under 100 feet of Kentucky soil. One was stripped for copper scrap after the Soviet Union collapsed. One donated its mechanical organs to keep its twin alive for 17 more years. And the biggest of them all was scrapped for just $700,000, while the 10,000 acres it stripped became a wildlife park with giraffes and rhinoceros.

Machines featured in this video:
10. Big Brutus — Bucyrus-Erie 1850-B, 5,500 tons (West Mineral, Kansas)
9. The Mountaineer — Marion 5760, 2,750 tons (Eastern Ohio)
8. Caterpillar 8750 — 7,300 tonnes, 435-foot boom (Highvale Mine, Alberta)
7. The Silver Spade — Bucyrus-Erie 1950-B, ~7,000 tons (Eastern Ohio)
6. GEM of Egypt — Bucyrus-Erie 1950-B, ~7,000 tons (Eastern Ohio)
5. Big Hog — Bucyrus-Erie 3850-B, ~9,000 tons (Drakesboro, Kentucky)
4. ESh 100/100 — Uralmash, ~10,300 tonnes (Krasnoyarsk, Siberia)
3. Ursa Major — Bucyrus-Erie 2570WS, ~7,380 tons (Black Thunder Mine, Wyoming)
2. The Captain — Marion 6360, up to 15,000 tons (Percy, Illinois)
1. Big Muskie — Bucyrus-Erie 4250-W, 13,500 tons (Cumberland, Ohio)

Sources and further reading:
Bucyrus Museum: bucyrusmuseum.org
Caterpillar Corporate Archives: caterpillar.com
Coal Age Magazine: coalage.com
Equipment World: equipmentworld.com
Mining Technology: mining-technology.com
Historical Construction Equipment Association (HCEA)

All footage used under Fair Use for educational and documentary purposes. This video is intended for education about heavy equipment history and industrial engineering.
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