Big Brutus
| Bucyrus Erie Model 1850-B "Big Brutus" | |
|---|---|
Big Brutus in 2014 | |
| Type | Electric shovel |
| Manufacturer | Bucyrus-Erie |
| Production | 1 unit made; June 1962 to May 1963 for $6.5 million |
| Length | 79.5 feet (24.2 m) (house) |
| Width | 58 feet (18 m) (house) |
| Height | 160 feet (48.8 m) (to tip of boom) |
| Weight | 9,300,000 pounds (4,200,000 kg) + 1,700,000 pounds (770,000 kg) ballast when operational |
| Propulsion | Crawler tracks |
| Gross power | ≥7,500 hp (standard), ≥15,000 hp (peak) |
| Speed | 0.22 mph (19 ft/min) (5.8m/min) max |
| Blade capacity | 90 cubic yards (68.8 m3) or 150 short tons (140 t) |
Big Brutus | |
| Built | 1963 |
|---|---|
| NRHP reference No. | 100001945 |
| Added to NRHP | January 5, 2018 |
Big Brutus is the nickname of the Bucyrus-Erie model 1850-B electric power shovel, which was the second largest of its type in operation in the 1960s and 1970s. Big Brutus is the centerpiece of a mining museum in West Mineral, Kansas, United States, where it was used in coal strip mining operations. The shovel was designed to dig from 20 to 69 feet (6.1 to 21.0 m) down to unearth relatively shallow coal seams, which would then be mined with smaller equipment.