# Earth Movers II (DD-639)

> Bagger 293 is a bucket-wheel excavator built by TAKRAF of Leipzig, Germany. It went into service on July 7, 1995, at RWE's Hambach open-pit lignite (brown coal) mine near Cologne. Guinness World Records lists it as the largest and heaviest land vehicle, meaning the biggest machine that moves under its own power. Guinness gives 14,196 tonnes, 220 m long and 94.5 m tall, while other sources give about 14,200 t, 225 m and 96 m. The 21.6 m wheel carries 18 buckets. As it turns, the buckets cut into the mine face and dump onto conveyor belts that carry the earth away. Guinness puts each bucket at 6,600 liters (6.6 m³), but other sources say about 15 m³. It can move 240,000 cubic meters of earth a day. That's a volume, not a weight: at typical soil densities it's well over 200,000 tonnes. It mostly digs overburden, the soil and rock above the coal. It runs on about 16.5 MW of outside electricity through a cable, crawls on 12 caterpillar tracks at a few meters a minute, and needs a crew of five.

- Department: Tech (also Cars)
- First published: 2025-08-18
- Last updated: 2025-08-18
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/earth-movers-ii/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **July 7, 1995**: Bagger 293 goes into service at the Hambach open-pit mine

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=earth-movers-ii

## Quick facts

- **DD-639-F01**: Bagger 293 weighs about 14,200 tonnes. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (A record holder))_
- **DD-639-F02**: It can move 240,000 m³ of earth a day. _(Write-up · Exhibit D (Daily output))_

## Write-up

The biggest digger on Earth. Bagger 293 moves 240,000 m³ of earth a day.

1. **A record holder**: Guinness lists Bagger 293 as the largest and heaviest machine that moves under its own power: 14,196 tonnes.
2. **In service since 1995**: It started work on July 7, 1995, at RWE's Hambach mine in western Germany.
3. **The wheel**: A 21.6 m wheel carries 18 buckets that dump earth onto conveyor belts.
4. **Daily output**: It can move 240,000 cubic meters of earth a day. That's a volume, not tons.
5. **Mostly overburden**: It mainly removes the soil and rock above the coal, and digs only small amounts of coal itself.

## Related case files

- [Earth Movers I (DD-359)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/earth-movers-i/): I linked the first part of the Earth Movers series, the haul truck that carries what the diggers dig
- [Big Boy 4014 (DD-720)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/big-boy-4014/): Another record-size machine
- [Walking Floors (DD-665)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/walking-floors/): Another way to move bulk material

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: '240,000 tons': the figure is 240,000 cubic meters per day, a volume. At typical soil densities that's well over 200,000 tonnes.
- **Bucket size**: Guinness gives 6,600 liters (6.6 m³) per bucket, while other sources say about 15 m³, so 'over 15 cubic meters' is disputed.
- **Note**: Dimensions differ by source: Guinness says 94.5 m (310 ft) tall and 220 m (722 ft) long. The Reel's 315 ft and 738 ft match other published figures.
- **Note**: 'About 14,200 tons': metric tonnes (Guinness gives 14,196 t), or about 15,600 U.S. short tons.
- **Missing**: it digs at RWE's Hambach lignite mine, mostly removing overburden, and has worked there since July 7, 1995. It runs on outside electricity, not its own engine.

## Video: Earth Movers II: The Biggest Digger on Earth

- Duration: 25.0 s · Published: 2025-08-18
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DNhTl5DMY0r.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? The Bagger 293, built by German company TAKRAF, is the largest land vehicle in the world, a bucket-wheel excavator standing 315 ft tall, stretching 738 ft long, and weighing about 14,200 tons. Designed for open pit mining, it uses its gigantic rotating wheel with 18 buckets, each holding over 15 cubic meters, to scoop up to 240,000 tons of material per day. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: Who built Bagger 293?**  
A: TAKRAF of Leipzig. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (A record holder) · Guinness World Records: Largest land vehicle; Guinness World Records: Heaviest land vehicle)_

**Q: How much earth can it move per day?**  
A: 240,000 m³, a volume. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Daily output) · Guinness World Records: Largest land vehicle; Wikipedia: Bagger 293)_

**Q: How many buckets are on its wheel?**  
A: 18 buckets. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (The wheel) · Guinness World Records: Largest land vehicle)_

**Q: Where does it work?**  
A: RWE's Hambach lignite mine. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (In service since 1995) · KuLaDig (LVR): Schaufelradbagger 293, Tagebau Hambach)_

**Q: What powers it?**  
A: About 16.5 MW, supplied externally. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Mostly overburden) · KuLaDig (LVR): Schaufelradbagger 293, Tagebau Hambach)_

## Sources

- [Guinness World Records: Largest land vehicle](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/62664-largest-land-vehicle)
- [Guinness World Records: Heaviest land vehicle](https://guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384401-heaviest-land-vehicle)
- [KuLaDig (LVR): Schaufelradbagger 293, Tagebau Hambach](https://www.kuladig.de/Objektansicht/BKM-20103007)
- [Wikipedia: Bagger 293](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagger_293)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Earth Movers II." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-639, last updated Aug 18, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/earth-movers-ii/