World's Top 5 S01E03
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CreativityTranscript
00:00Earthmovers, some of the world's biggest machines, created to dig up the world's biggest loads.
00:12From monstrous dump trucks to terrifying tunnellers, earthmovers come in all shapes and sizes.
00:19Enormous, ginormous and simply mega.
00:24But what makes the very top world beater?
00:27We put these mechanical marvels under the spotlight.
00:31Which earthmover is the heaviest?
00:33Think of a two-storey house with a garage, you know, you're driving it.
00:38Can carry the most.
00:39It's big and bad and very strong.
00:43Can tackle some of the most dangerous jobs on earth.
00:46Finally, it's not an option on this project.
00:50In our search for the ultimate giants of engineering genius, we go on a global search.
00:57Testing, analysing, rating to establish the best of the best.
01:03The world's ultimate earthmover.
01:09From the battalions of metal monsters, grinding and shifting in quarries, mines and tunnels
01:15across the globe.
01:17There's around a quarter of a million different earthmoving machines out there.
01:20How do you pick the best one?
01:24We've shortlisted five incredible earthmovers for scrutiny.
01:30The CAT 797F, the world's largest mining truck.
01:36The CAT 8750, the huge bucket beast that actually walks.
01:43The extraordinary tapcraft bagger, one of the largest vehicles ever created.
01:51The Komatsu WA 1200, Japan's supercomputer megalifter.
01:59The crossrail tunnel borers, ripping holes underneath one of the world's busiest cities.
02:07Five Herculean machines, each of them, in their own way, world beaters.
02:12Judging their performance across five key tests, for the first time, we reveal the world's
02:19ultimate earthmover.
02:23Stonking power.
02:26First category up, let's throw the spotlight on weight.
02:31From our selection of humongously heavy machines, which is the hyper-heavyweight?
02:44Out of our five earthmoving monsters, the one taking fifth position for weight is Japan's
02:50Komatsu, a heavy lifter boasting some of the most advanced technology in the mining world.
02:58Skipping the scales at 213.3 tonnes, it may be trim, but more crucially, it's nimble.
03:05It takes just 21.5 seconds for the Komatsu to raise a full bucket, empty it, and lower
03:11it again.
03:12I mean, that's brilliant.
03:15Rumbling gracefully into fourth position is the CAT 797F.
03:20At 624 tonnes, it's not just heavy duty, it's profoundly heavy.
03:26Wheels, engine, chassis, truck bed, all built to withstand the most punishing carrying jobs
03:32on the planet.
03:35Just to give you an idea of how massive the CAT 797 is, it needs 114 litres of paint to
03:41give it its distinctive yellow finish.
03:42I mean, that's a lot of trips to your DIY store.
03:46Burrowing up the weight charts to the number three position, the 1,000-tonne crossrail
03:51TBM, or tunnel boring machine.
03:55There are 600 of these German-designed machines of varying size across the world.
04:02The majority of its massive weight is at the sharp end, the cutting head.
04:07Behind it, trailing gear and a conveyor belt extend back to the start of the tunnel.
04:13The action end of a tunnel borer has 148 different cutting implements, and that weighs over four
04:18tonnes altogether, and it means it can cut through practically anything.
04:23At number two, the largest vehicle created by the human race.
04:28At 6,216 tonnes, the Takraf SRS 6300 weighs as much as 101 US military tanks.
04:38Of all the machines I've filmed, a bucket wheel excavator was easily the biggest.
04:43In fact, it was more of a place than a machine.
04:47But the lumbering giant that's walked into top position for weight is the factory on
04:51legs they call the big one.
04:56At 7,350 tonnes, and weighing the equivalent of almost 20 fully-laden 747 jets, precision
05:05engineering meets high tech.
05:07It's easy to forget that the CAT 8750 is actually a vehicle, because when you look inside it,
05:12it just looks like a small factory.
05:14So the CAT 8750 wins the first test.
05:19Let's climb on board and peep under her massive bonnet.
05:24The Highvale Mine in Alberta, Canada.
05:27One of the largest strip coal mines in the world, supplying three power stations.
05:37It's up to this giant to make sure there's a continuous flow of coal to keep the power
05:43plants fuelled.
05:45The CAT 8750 Dragline Excavator.
05:50It's job, dragging away earth and rock, or overburden, so miners can reach the precious
05:56coal beneath the surface.
05:59Dean Lesher is the man in the hot seat.
06:02His target on his 12-hour shift is to dig out at least 120,000 tonnes of earth.
06:09That's 500 buckets.
06:11The record for a day is over 700.
06:14We're moving dirt, like mud and rock, to expose the coal.
06:20It's roughly 60 feet below where we're sitting.
06:24At Dean's fingertips are two sensitive joystick controllers that operate the 132-metre crane,
06:31the largest boom of any earth mover.
06:35It carries a hefty 107-tonne bucket.
06:40Dean drops the bucket to the ground, then the 8750 uses its muscle.
06:48Six motors with a combined force of 10,000 horsepower drag the bucket to pick up a scoop
06:54of rock and earth, heavier than a blue whale.
06:59It's highly effective, but lifting an immense weight 24-7 means the excavator is under constant
07:05stress.
07:07Making sure this beast doesn't stop digging on Dean's watch is the job of technical engineer
07:13Tina Marks.
07:16Every few days you look at the teeth and how much has worn and the wedges, make sure they're
07:21all in place.
07:22This is a newer tip because there's a curve and it's out further than the rest and this
07:27one's going to be about the next one to change out.
07:29And basically there's just a wedge in here and they use a hammer and it drops out and
07:33then you put the new one in and then a wedge and hammer.
07:37The bucket is just the start.
07:39Every part of this colossal crane has to be precision engineered to cope with immense
07:44pressure.
07:46Inside the belly of the beast is the giant engine room, housing 20 huge motors with a
07:52combined output of almost 27,500 horsepower.
07:59Kerry Huffman is the on-board oiler and the safety of this megalifter rests firmly on
08:04his shoulders.
08:07This is where we make sure that everything's getting lubed properly.
08:10Check this once a shift.
08:11Start of the shift, make sure everything's good, which is good to go.
08:17Mining is a historically dangerous industry.
08:19Here at Highvale, they do everything they can to ensure their workers stay safe.
08:26Rigorous and regular safety checks ensure no one takes any shortcuts.
08:35Underneath here, you'll see there's an electronic eye, you can see it right down on the base
08:39of the floor there.
08:40Now that, if you happen to get a slack rope, that'll trip everything off, so your motion
08:46will be lost.
08:47The gargantuan weight of the 8750 is largely down to those huge engines, but that mass
08:54is needed for stability when the enormous boom is in use.
08:58And its sheer scale isn't its only unique feature, because it doesn't have tracks or
09:04wheels.
09:05Instead, it has two huge feet, and it walks.
09:11When it's static, the machine sits on a circular tub, but to move, it engages those two enormous
09:19shoes.
09:20The arm above each shoe turns in an eccentric motion, which hauls the tub up from the ground
09:26and sets it down again two meters further on, a bit like someone walking on crutches.
09:32Each step takes on average 45 seconds.
09:35We switch it from drag over to propel, and right now it's propelling two steps.
09:42After 25 minutes, the Canadian Colossus has lumbered to its new position.
09:48This means Dean is right on track to exceed today's target.
09:53Job done.
09:54The 8750 has an incredible 20 engines, which run everything from its boom to its feet,
10:01and produce a total output of a massive 15,500 horsepower.
10:06Now, to put that in context, that's what you'd need to run roughly 10,000 family homes.
10:15Coming up, which of our five ultimate earth movers will carry off the award for sheer
10:20lifting capacity?
10:31Five top earth movers, but which is the world's best?
10:37Pitting these colossal machines against each other in five key categories will reveal the
10:43ultimate winner.
10:45That hulking great walking monster, the Cat 8750 is currently ahead.
10:52But now we're at the muddy end, as we scrutinize how much earth they can shift.
11:02So it's time to flex those biceps and see which one of these inexorable forces can lift
11:09the heaviest load.
11:12No surprise at five, the tunnel borer machine.
11:16But as it bores its tunnel, it's also laying down super strong concrete rings, where precision
11:22is more important than speed.
11:25So in one turn of its cutting head, the maximum one of these can pick up is just seven tons.
11:31The cutting head is powered by 12 massive motors.
11:35Each one weighs 700 kilos.
11:37That's equivalent of 10 men.
11:40You just can't imagine how big it is.
11:43Moving up from five to four, it's the Komatsu.
11:47It can pick up the equivalent of 500 average sized men in just one giant sized scoop.
11:54Not as much as some other earth movers, but it's incredibly efficient fuel injection and
11:59hydraulic systems mean it costs a whole lot less to do it.
12:05The hydraulic system of this beast is just absolutely phenomenal.
12:08It can shift 1045 liters of hydraulic fluid in one minute, and that's enough to create
12:14pressure to lift 36.3 tons in one go.
12:20Excavating its way into the number three slot, the Takraf bagger.
12:25In some ways, this extraordinary machine looks like the chainsaw from hell as it cuts into
12:31the soft earth to expose the lignite seams below.
12:38It shifts the equivalent of 20,000 people with shovels every single day.
12:43That's a hell of a lot of back work.
12:45Crushing down to the number two slot, it's the Cat 8750.
12:50This drag line excavator can lift the equivalent of 32 heavy goods vehicles in one single bucket.
13:00The boom that allows it to do that weighs 450 tons, and if this boom broke, it would
13:05take nearly two years and many millions to repair.
13:09But shifting up a gear to first place is the Cat 797F.
13:15It doesn't scoop, but boy, can it haul a large load.
13:20363 tons is the equivalent of three entire two-story houses.
13:27The Cat 797 has so many different bits that when it's delivered, it takes 13 different
13:31trucks to take it to the site, and then it takes a crew of guys over 20 days to put the
13:36whole thing together, which is about how long it takes me to do one IKEA set of shelves.
13:42Let's climb inside the cab and check it out.
13:54Wyoming, the United States.
13:57At this 34-square-kilometer site, they need to shift millions of tons of earth and rock
14:03quickly.
14:07When it comes to finding the right workhorse for that kind of challenge, there really is
14:12only one choice, the Cat 797F, the undisputed king of mine and quarry trucking.
14:23The trucks operate 24-7 here, shifting over 423,000 tons each day so that miners can reach
14:32a subterranean coal seam.
14:40Driver T.J.
14:41Eckhoff underwent two weeks of simulator training and supervised driving before taking command
14:46of this impressive piece of engineering.
14:52You're driving your house, pretty much.
14:53You know, I mean, you think of a two-story house with a garage, you know, you're driving
14:57it.
14:58You know, if you go and sit on top of your roof and look down, that's how far it is down
15:02to the ground there, you know?
15:04When you first hop in, though, it's a mind rush, you know?
15:07Today, T.J.'s target is to shift 16,500 tons.
15:13That's 30 truckloads.
15:16Despite being so vast, the Cat 797 is incredibly manoeuvrable, but getting close enough for
15:23loading requires teamwork.
15:26Two honks usually means you're a little bit far out, he wants you to move in.
15:31And by move in, you just move in one tire width to start, and then if he honks three
15:35times at you, it means he got a little close that time, needs you to move out.
15:40So we'll swing around, give us a couple loads, and take off to the dump.
15:47And then just like he did there, he honks once, means we're loaded.
15:51Take off and leave.
15:52Head to the dump, we go.
15:54Loading up is only half the job.
15:57The mind's demanding schedule means each load has to be dumped as fast as possible.
16:02This is where the 797's enormous hydraulic cylinders prove their value.
16:07Powered by their own motor, they pump an incredible 1,200 litres of oil a minute,
16:13allowing the truck to raise a full load in just 25 seconds.
16:16That's all there is to it, just like that.
16:25Its inner workings are so finely tuned, and the giant dump is so crucial to the mind's
16:30production, each monster truck is brought in for maintenance every 500 hours.
16:37Eric Powers is the man responsible for keeping the wheels rolling.
16:44If we can catch those repairs ahead of time, we can turn a two-week repair into maybe a
16:48two-day repair.
16:50Nothing about maintaining a vehicle this size is small.
16:55From its 219-ton chassis to its massive 4,000-horsepower engine.
17:02This is a tier two emissions engine.
17:05What you see up here is the intake and exhaust system.
17:09It uses four turbos.
17:11This here shows the aftercooler system, or piping.
17:15This here is how much exhaust it produces.
17:18And all those exhaust fumes are put to good use.
17:22The two bellows connect to the truck bed, channeling heat to the base and to the sides,
17:28ensuring nothing sticks to the bed and everything is efficiently dumped.
17:35As for the monster truck's tires, they're so massive, they have to be custom made at
17:40a cost of $600,000 for a new set.
17:45Each weighs more than five tons, and together they contain enough rubber to make 500 standard
17:52pickup truck tires.
17:55Changing them isn't an easy job.
17:58The tire changing process is being done with a forklift with a scissor attachment that
18:05is on this forklift, and it takes something of this capacity to lift these heavy tires
18:10on and off of here.
18:12Without it, it'd be impossible.
18:20TJ has reached his target of 30 loads.
18:23His 12-hour shift is at an end, but another driver will take over before the 797 has even
18:29had a chance to cool down.
18:32To drive these 797Fs, which is pretty much the Cadillac of the mind, yeah, it's kind
18:38of a...
18:39I guess you want to say like an honour, you know?
18:41The Cat 797 uses up 455 litres of diesel every hour, but it can travel for 10 hours on a
18:47single tank.
18:49That's six and a half grand just to fill up.
18:56Coming up, which of our ultimate earthmovers is the most powerful?
19:09Five world-beating ultimate earthmovers assessed on their key attributes.
19:16The walking bucket beast that is the Cat 8750.
19:20The fast and fearless Cat 797F.
19:24The enormous Tapcraft Bagger.
19:27The ultra-high-tech Komatsu WA1200.
19:31And boring it isn't, the cross-rail tunnel boring machine.
19:38Each is put to the test and rated in five key categories.
19:43Currently sitting in pole position after testing weight and lifting capacity, the Cat 8750
19:49by a whisker.
19:53But what about sheer animal strength?
19:55It's time to size up engine capacity.
20:01Well behind the rest of the field in fifth place, the Komatsu WA1200, whose 60-litre
20:07engine kicks out 1,560 horsepower.
20:12But every single one of those horses delivers highly focused oomph.
20:19The Komatsu has two separate throttles controlling how much of the 1,500 horsepower from the
20:23engine goes to either the wheels or the hydraulic system involved in the lifting.
20:27So the driver can decide at any time where across his machine he needs that power.
20:33Revving it up at number four, that dynamic dump truck, the Cat 797F.
20:39For such a big beast, it requires a surprisingly delicate touch.
20:43But merely caressing the controls unleashes a fearsome 4,000 horsepower.
20:49For me, that just sends shivers down my spine.
20:54Just cutting in at number three in this test of super strength, the Crossrail TBM.
21:00This tunnelling titan has a total of 23 electric powered engines that turn the cutter head
21:07and lift concrete segments, all in all delivering 4,168 horsepower.
21:15That's 58,000 kilonewtons that the head is exerting against the ground, which is the
21:21same force as would be required to lift 2,900 London taxis.
21:26Swinging in at number two, with over double the horsepower of the TBM, a veritable magnum
21:33opus of the machine world, the Cat 8750.
21:39An object lesson in why we use machines in the first place.
21:44The Cat 8750 can average about 19 hours a day across a year, so it's a total of about
21:487,000 hours a year.
21:50Your average human worker can't even do a third of that.
21:54But at number one, winning this category by a mere 50 horsepower, the Tapcraft Bagger.
22:019,950 horsepower of relentless digging muscle, allowing it to dig up the equivalent of 180
22:10football pitches in a single day.
22:13My God, that's amazing, right?
22:16Let's take a closer look at this colossus in action.
22:23Sprawling across 100 square kilometres, for as far as the eye can see, this is the Nochten
22:29opencast mine in eastern Germany.
22:33Every year, more than 17 million tonnes of brown lignite coal is extracted from this
22:39immense site.
22:42It's the fossil fuel that feeds the country's power stations, and it's needed in vast quantities.
22:50Unearthing the lignite requires something with Herculean capabilities.
22:56The machine of choice, the enormous Tapcraft Bagger 6300.
23:06Daniel Taugs is one of the engineers who works on this $100 million monster.
23:12It's an amazing machine, with this weight and this size, and it's one of the biggest
23:20in the world.
23:22But even with 22 engines, this is no speed machine.
23:27The excavator moves in a minute approximately nine metres, and approximately 350 metres
23:34in an hour.
23:36It's 8am, and the Tapcraft Bagger is doing what it does best, tearing through the earth
23:42at this opencast mine and exposing the lignite seam 130 metres below the surface.
23:50When it's finished, smaller excavators will be used to actually mine the coal.
23:56While the excavator continues on its relentless task, on the horizon another lies silent.
24:04This is a Tapcraft SRS 2000.
24:08It's out of action with a major mechanical failure.
24:22It's not good news.
24:23The thirst for coal is so great that any pause in production could affect power supplies
24:28to tens of thousands of homes.
24:31A team of 30 mechanics have just seven hours to change the brakes and carry out a list
24:37of other essential repairs.
24:39The deadline, 3pm.
24:45Back at the neighbouring mine, the big Tapcraft 6300 continues to unleash its might.
24:53Bolted to the end of a boom that seems to defy gravity, this mighty cutting wheel can
24:58rotate up to 75 times a minute.
25:04The enormous weight of the cutting boom is counterbalanced by a second massive boom that
25:10prevents the immense structure toppling over.
25:13Operating this giant is an eight-man job, but the responsibility of driving it comes
25:18down to just one.
25:20Today, it's Siegmeyr.
25:23I think the main challenge is to control the size, because it is 243 metres long and 63
25:32metres high, and he weighs over 6,000 tonnes.
25:37It is one of the world's biggest machines and the biggest bucket wheel excavator in
25:45Germany, in East Germany.
25:49Incredibly, the concept behind the bucket wheel is credited to artist and inventor Leonardo
25:55da Vinci more than 500 years ago.
26:00Leonardo designed a machine to clean the bottom of canals.
26:04Strung between two boats, a handle rotates a wheel holding four buckets, dredging and
26:09dumping in a continuous process.
26:12So what's changed in 500 years?
26:15Well, apart from more buckets on the excavator wheel, the main change has been vastly increased
26:20power, culminating in this powerful beast.
26:25It's 2.45pm and another shift at the Nochten mine is coming to an end.
26:31Since they clocked on eight hours ago, the five-man crew have shifted close to 85,000
26:37cubic metres of earth, which will all be used to create a new landscape as the mining area
26:42moves forward.
26:44But in the neighbouring mine, the small attack raft remains out of action.
26:49The team of 30 mechanics has been working flat out to get it moving again.
26:54They've replaced the seized up brakes and completed a long list of other gruelling repairs.
27:00With their deadline just minutes away, will it work?
27:05It feels important.
27:14The relief in the cab is palpable.
27:18The bagger is back in business, their long shift is over.
27:22And this extraordinary excavator can join its colleague as they continue tearing up
27:27the earth's surface.
27:29It's a bit dangerous being around this machine when it's moving, so there are in-built loud
27:34speakers to allow the driver to let the crew know when it's about to shift.
27:46Battling it out to be named the world's ultimate earth mover, three mega-machines are setting
27:51the pace.
27:54The Cat 8750, its cousin the Cat 797F dump truck, and the Tacraft bagger.
28:02Our next test, multitasking.
28:06How many different jobs can they do at the same time?
28:11At the back of the pack, the Cat 797F.
28:15A superlative piece of engineering, but all it does is one thing, shifting earth and rock
28:21from point A to point B, even though it does it rather well with the help of seven on-board
28:27computers.
28:28Now in terms of software complexity, that's similar to the Space Shuttle, and this is
28:33a dumper truck.
28:35In at four, the 797's big cousin, the Cat 8750.
28:40This machine has a repertoire of two tasks, digging and shifting, although it can only
28:47shift material as far as its boom can reach.
28:51At number three, the Tacraft bagger.
28:55Like the 8750, it can dig and shift, but the Tacraft has conveyor belts stretching
29:01behind it that can shift material as far as needed.
29:07The busy Komatsu storms into second place.
29:10Not only does it dig and shift as far as necessary, it performs a third task very well too.
29:18Self-diagnosis.
29:20Whenever it's on the move, signals from every part of the Komatsu are relayed to its manufacturers
29:25to ensure it works as efficiently as possible.
29:29Really, really amazingly well-designed piece of kit.
29:36But the number one multitasker, without any doubt, is the Crossrail TBM.
29:43This is a machine that not only digs and shifts, it builds the tunnel at the same time.
29:49What's more, this machine is also a pretty nifty navigator.
29:54Using lasers, it's accurate to the nearest three millimetres.
29:58This is the only one of our Earthmovers that performs every aspect of the job.
30:03So, let's submerge ourselves in the underground world of the multi-talented tunnel boring machine.
30:14In the heart of London, England, Europe's biggest construction project is underway.
30:20Crossrail, a new Metrolink requiring 42 kilometres of tunnels beneath one of the world's busiest cities.
30:29This ambitious $23 billion development would not be possible without this.
30:39The tunnel borer, a seven-metre-high spinning cutter, 148 metres long.
30:48Working 24-7, eight of these beasts are tearing through 7,500 tonnes of earth, clay and chalk every week.
30:59It's the start of a new shift in the first tunnel.
31:03At the front of the tunnel boring machine, the immense cutter head is grinding into the earth.
31:09Jimmy Gagan and the rest of his crew have to push forward another three metres before the day's out.
31:16The 20-man team is working in one of construction's most dangerous and claustrophobic environments.
31:23Jimmy is a ring builder, a vital job that makes sure the tunnel doesn't collapse.
31:29If you imagine that the TVM is like a giant earthworm working its way through the ground,
31:34behind itself it's leaving these concrete rings and each one of these rings is connected to the last,
31:39so it's forming the tunnel as it goes.
31:43The super strong concrete rings create a permanent inner wall supporting the tunnel.
31:50Each ring is built from eight two-and-a-half-tonne segments,
31:55which are delicately lifted into position by a hydraulic suction arm.
32:02That's where my job comes in and we make sure that the rings are in line, in level, and then the bolts go in to secure it.
32:11Everyone that works here knows the dangers of the job, they're all very, very professional,
32:16so they stay out of the way and don't put themselves in any silly risk.
32:20Once a ring is finished, the cutter starts up and 20 hydraulic rams behind the head push against the ring,
32:27moving the giant mechanical mole forwards.
32:31When it's moved far enough, the tunnel borer stops and another ring is built.
32:36The process repeats non-stop until the tunnel is finished.
32:41Jimmy and his crew have finished their first ring.
32:44They have to complete two entire rings to meet the target.
32:50The hydraulic rams push forward with almost 6,000 tonnes of thrust.
32:56The source of this incredible digging power is the machine's 12 direct-drive electric motors.
33:03They turn the 87-tonne cutter head at three revolutions per minute.
33:09Andy Older is the cross-rail project manager.
33:12His priority is to ensure the TBM doesn't stop digging
33:16and remains on track to complete today's three-metre target.
33:21The cutter head is dressed with 120 tungsten carbide cutting knives,
33:25which are the small white knives you see there.
33:27They're there to cut the clay as we're moving forward or if we encounter sand and gravel and so on.
33:32So the soil goes into the screw conveyor, the screw conveyor rotates,
33:35and that takes it back out through the back of the machine.
33:40The excavated earth leaves the tunnel on a 50-metre conveyor on top of the machine.
33:46The conveyor will eventually extend the entire length of the tunnel.
33:52This project is an incredible engineering challenge,
33:55made tougher because each tunnel borer has to negotiate the labyrinth
34:00of London's existing underground rail network,
34:03mining perilously close to one of its busiest stations.
34:08The closest we get to is at Tunnel Court Road,
34:10where the outside of our tunnel boring machine is 400 millimetres away
34:14from the outside of the London underground platform tunnels.
34:17Failure is not an option on this project.
34:20At the head of the tunnel, it's the end of the shift for Jimmy and his team.
34:24They've just completed the second ring of the day, so he's achieved his target.
34:29We're happy with that, we're happy with that.
34:31You never know when you're going through it on a train anyway.
34:33In the weeks to come, we'll get to the point where we're building ten rings a day,
34:3615 rings a day, and building 100 metres a week as an average production.
34:41Progress will be even quicker when all eight TBMs are burrowing away
34:46in concrete harmony, together changing the subterranean face of London forever.
34:52All that earth that they excavate from under London will be transported away
34:57and used to reclaim land from the sea, which will in turn be used as a bird sanctuary.
35:07Coming up, which of our brawny beasts requires the lowest manpower
35:12as they rip their way through their daily routine?
35:16And decision time, which of them is the world's ultimate earth mover?
35:23Five of the biggest and baddest earth-moving machines on the planet,
35:28but which is the world's best of the best?
35:32Counting down in five key categories, which will be revealed as the ultimate winner?
35:38Joint leaders at this point are the Tacraft Bagger and the Cat 8750.
35:46Joint leaders at this point are the Tacraft Bagger and the Cat 8750.
35:52But will our final category throw a spanner in the works?
35:56Manpower efficiency, which machine requires the fewest operators?
36:02Trailing behind the rest, for the second time, it's the Tunnel Borer.
36:07It's powerful, but it takes an international crew of 20 to harness that power.
36:12You get a mix of German drivers, Spanish supervisors and English tunnel constructors all in one place.
36:18It's a real melting pot of engineering wisdom.
36:21Fourth place goes to the Tacraft Bagger.
36:24It needs a team of eight, which is amazingly compact, considering this monster's daunting size.
36:31Don't think I'd like to be around it when it's moving.
36:36At number three, the 8750 Super Lifter.
36:41Heavier than the Tacraft, but it only needs a crew of four.
36:45Between them, they're effectively running an entire factory.
36:51From number three straight to number one, where we have a tie.
36:56Equal in first place, the Cat 797F, the biggest truck in the world.
37:03If you drove it down the average three-lane motorway, it would take up all three lanes,
37:08with only about 50 centimetres left on either side.
37:12All that size and power in the hands of just one driver.
37:17And joint first in this final category, the Komatsu.
37:22Weighing 213 tonnes, powered by a 60-litre engine,
37:28capable of lifting the weight of 500 men, but operated by just one.
37:34That's brilliant.
37:36Let's examine the Komatsu in detail.
37:41Dawn at the world's largest open-cast ilmenite mine in Norway.
37:46Today, one man has the task of shifting 10,000 tonnes of earth and rock,
37:52from which ilmenite, a source of titanium dioxide, will be extracted.
37:57He has eight hours to complete his task.
38:00It's a massive job that requires something very special.
38:05Introducing the Komatsu WA 1200.
38:09It's big and bad and very strong.
38:13We can move mountains with this one.
38:17This giant wheel loader is one of the most technologically advanced of its kind in the world.
38:26Only a select few have the skills required to operate this multi-million dollar monster,
38:31and 32-year-old Vidar Stenberg is one of them.
38:35He undertook a week of specialist training with Komatsu,
38:39and in the last four years has mastered the 1200.
38:43When I first tried this machine, I was very impressed.
38:48It felt very, very big.
38:51And it actually feels big today.
38:54With a top speed of just 22 kilometres an hour, driving the Komatsu is a slow and steady process.
39:02But what this machine lacks in performance, it makes up with incredible lifting power and torque.
39:09Mechanical engineer Kurt Meidland has been a mine employee for 18 years,
39:14and is responsible for ensuring the 1200 is kept serviceable around the clock.
39:20There is three Komatsu 1200 in Europe, and we are one of them,
39:25and of course we are happy to have the biggest loader in Norway.
39:29That's always nice to have the biggest one.
39:34Down in the mine, Vidar and the Komatsu have settled into a steady rhythm.
39:39We're nearly in the bottom of the mine, just 50 metres over sea level.
39:44And what you see behind me is the loader just preparing for a truck arrival.
39:50From his driving seat six and a half metres up,
39:53Vidar is perfectly positioned to manoeuvre the Komatsu and conduct the operation below.
39:58The unique thing is that you sit very high and have a big view over the trucks,
40:04and you have very much power.
40:09I like it.
40:10The Komatsu is a true giant among earth movers, loaded with the latest hydraulic systems
40:16and packed with state-of-the-art computerisation.
40:19But what makes this machine so incredible is its ability to be operated by just one person.
40:25This machine is very simple to use.
40:28If you can drive a small one, say eight tonnes wheel loader,
40:33you can easily jump right into this and just dig.
40:39This joystick here is for the swing, left and right.
40:43This is lifting, you lift the whole arm.
40:48And then you have the bucket on this one.
40:52Button here, so when you're going forward and you want to dump the shuffle to the truck,
40:59you can use this and change the speed in second gear.
41:03But the simplicity of the cab is deceptive.
41:06The technology behind this vehicle is literally out of this world.
41:12Every aspect of the functioning of the vehicle is constantly fed to onboard computers.
41:17The data is beamed to a satellite and down to a control room in Japan.
41:22It monitors the performance and location of 56,000 earth movers across the world.
41:30And makes the data available for operators such as the Norwegian mine.
41:34It's an early warning system.
41:36Early diagnosis of potential faults keeps the vehicles moving for longer.
41:43It's 3pm and eight hours after starting work at the mine,
41:48Vidar and his mountain mover have successfully shifted 10,000 tonnes of ore and rock.
41:54That's the equivalent weight of almost 30 fully loaded Boeing 747s.
42:00Yeah, but yeah, of course I'm proud.
42:02I can tell my little daughter I'm the driver of the world's biggest loader.
42:07That's cool.
42:16Five incredible earth moving machines.
42:20Five incredible earth moving machines.
42:23Five miracles of engineering.
42:26Each of them extraordinary in their own way.
42:30But which is the overall best of the best?
42:34In identifying the single earth mover which dominates the pack,
42:38all round performance is key.
42:41So we've totaled the rankings for weight, capacity, muscle, manpower and multitasking.
42:48And here is the final result.
42:55In fifth place, it's the Crossrail TBM.
43:01At four, the mountain moving Komatsu.
43:07In third place, our broad-shouldered friend, the CAT 797F.
43:13At number two, the enduring masterpiece that began with Leonardo da Vinci, the Tacra Bagger.
43:25Which means the world's number one ultimate earth mover is the walking CAT 8750.
43:34Muscular, macho and without a doubt, a mega machine which, judging by our tests,
43:41thoroughly deserves its nickname, the big one.
43:45If you manage to tip it up on its side, it would actually qualify as a skyscraper.
43:50The only word I can think of to describe this machine is awesome.
43:55It's second to none.