How do you prove the strength of your new crane? Pick up another crane. How do you prove the strength of that crane? I think you can see where this is going.
The great BangShift turned up this video of a demonstration by the German manufacturer Liebherr back in 2012. They wanted to show off their LR 13000, "the most powerful crawler crane in the world of conventional design" as the company professes. The maximum load moment is 65,000 tm, and that main boom goes from 60-144 meters.
In this demo, the main LR 1300 is carrying a 1,080-tonne LR 11350, which is carrying a 288-tonne LR 1350, which is carrying a 62-tonne LR 1100.
Here's the company's own PR video of the event, complete with lifting, rotating, and driving with all the cranes midair.
This is the best machine-ception since that boat carrying all those other boats.
Contact the author at raphael@jalopnik.com.