All language subtitles for The.Mightiest.S03E04.Heavyweight.Champions.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-RAWR_track4_[eng]

NARRATOR:
Gargantuan tasks

demand mega-muscled machines...

♪

Dominating the drag strip,

commanding
deep-sea construction,

or reaping the fields.

Whether at work or at play,

these heavyweight champions

are the masters
of monumental loads.

Burning rubber...

Screaming engines...

It's just an adrenalin rush
like I've never had before.

NARRATOR:
...these diesel-sucking beasts

are transforming trucking,
from highway to raceway.

MAN:
You're just on the edge

just watching loaded race
after loaded race.

NARRATOR: It's all part of
a rebirth of the big rig.

It's exciting, for sure.

NARRATOR:
From heavy hauler...

It's exhilarating, man. It's
a power like nothing else.

NARRATOR:
...to drag-strip brawler,

this is the Great Lakes
Big Rig Truck Challenge,

where high-powered semis battle
in uphill elimination rounds...

...until only one truck
is victorious.

Tens of thousands of fans
come from all over the world

just to watch these monsters
race uphill, fully loaded.

You've got fans going wild,

the ground shaking,

black smoke everywhere.

When those rigs launch,

the roar gets you
right in the chest.

We're talking
custom-built machines.

These are
one-of-a-kind racing beasts

that can't even function
as normal big rigs anymore.

You could drive it
down the road.

It would be very smoky
and make a lot of people mad.

It would get very hot
pretty quick.

Transmission is built
for shifting fast,

not for lasting long. So,
you would blow a transmission

fairly soon on the road.

ZEINAB EL-SAYEGH:
These are the 18-wheelers

you'd see along any stretch
of the highway,

holding materials, supplies, food.

Long-haul, heavy-duty veterans
of the road

that have been reborn
purely for competition.

NARRATOR:
It takes more than speed.

They have to pull their weight
uphill.

MIKE STURGILL:
A-class is the best of the best.

8,000 horsepower,

16,000-foot pounds of torque.

Side by side.
Straight up the hill. 700 feet.

Tires off the ground.

NARRATOR:
Each big rig

is attached to a 54-ton load.

When they get their cue,

the pedal hits the metal

and the gears grind.

Will they cross the line first
or get kicked to the curb?

WADE LALONE: We're all friends
until the light goes green.

When we're on the racetrack,
you're my enemy.

These aren't just big rigs.

They're heavyweight-pulling
champs.

Top-tier A-class trucks
hauling full loads,

out to prove who's
the ultimate king of the road.

MIKE: These machines are pushed
to the maximum for racing.

They were not designed to be
a race application,

but we've made them into
a racing machine.

NARRATOR:
Long before their racing days,

big rigs were making their money
out on the highways,

and they've been doing it
since the early 1900s.

PATRICK: So, the semi-truck
was invented in 1898

by a guy named Alexander Winton,

an American engineer
who wanted a better way

to deliver his company cars

than using horse-drawn wagons.

Started out with steam engines

and then switched to gasoline
and then diesel.

By the 1920s, when better
road networks were created,

semi-trucks were everywhere
on highways.

NARRATOR:
Now, millions of semi-trucks

move trillions of dollars
worth of cargo

on roads and highways
the world over.

I love trucks because the world
revolves around trucks.

Without trucks,
you wouldn't have

the goods and services
that we do every day.

NARRATOR: But when these haulers
retire from the highway,

the lucky ones are rescued
for the track.

Semi-truck racing was born

at the Atlanta Motor Speedway
in 1979.

Two motorsport promoters,
Jim Donohoe and Pete Keller,

organized the first major
big-rig race.

That event led to circuits

like the Great American
Truck Racing Series

and Canada's Truck Rodeo,

which began with regular
big rigs raising up a hill.

They had to find an uphill,
'cause they wanted to see

who had the most powerful truck
to get to the top.

So, it just became
an uphill race.

NARRATOR: Now, it's evolved
into maxed-out semis

that grow more powerful
with each passing year.

Out on the track,
the big rigs reach speeds

of 120 kilometres per hour.

But the drivers
are more concerned with

their pulling power.

MIKE: All turbo.
Everything's maxed out.

See the steep part of the hill?

Full boost, and that's when
the engines work the hardest,

'cause there's a heavy load
pulling on a steep hill.

NARRATOR:
And that extreme pulling force

comes straight from the heart
of these machines:

their engines.

We are going to take a look at
the engine.

NARRATOR:
Nobody is relying on

factory-made parts
for these rigs.

Under the hood, it's all custom.

DUMARESQ:
Drivers are obsessed with

squeezing every ounce of power
from their rigs

to get that competitive edge.

They crank up air pressure
to max out horsepower,

and pump in so much fuel
that black smoke and flames

pour from the exhaust.

And when factory parts
can't survive the abuse,

they build custom components
from scratch.

For mechanics
like Leland Zimmerman,

that means pulling in some parts

borrowed from
even bigger beasts...

MIKE:
These are big, massive turbos.

Big, big turbos. Like, look like
they come off a train engine.

NARRATOR: ...retrofitting them
into a big-rig engine.

The result?

A mutant, black-smoke-spewing
force to be reckoned with.

LELAND: We also have
a much larger turbocharger

that pushes air
into the engine here.

We basically push way more air
into it

and inject
way more fuel into it.

Spin it much faster,
and that creates more power.

We have a much bigger fuel pump.

Three or four times as much fuel
as a factory pump.

The injectors are much bigger
than the factory injectors.

It allows it to inject more fuel
into the cylinders.

NARRATOR:
More fuel and more air

means more explosive power
off the starting line.

CLARENCE: To put these
modifications in perspective,

these are high-performance,
highly modified engines

capable of nearly 10 times
the power

of your average 18-wheeler
on the highway.

Modifications we've done to the
fuel pump, the big turbocharger

and the RPMs we can spin
makes this thing the mightiest,

and our goal is to get it faster
than any of the other trucks,

from shifting our gears
to the way we leave the line.

The finish line.
It all has to work together

to get there
ahead of the other trucks.

That's what matters.

NARRATOR: These engines are
tested in back-to-back races.

As they charge up that hill,

it's all about the torque.

♪

Torque or twisting force

is the truck's
not-so-secret weapon

when it comes to
the starting line.

It determines how fast
these monster machines

can take off from a dead stop.

NARRATOR: Torque starts with
the rig's oversized pistons

pumping up and down
inside the engine cylinders.

Each downstroke
turns the crankshaft,

the part that transfers
that force to the flywheel...

...through the transmission,

driveshaft, axles,

and down to the wheels
that power the vehicle forward.

The result?

More torque, and the ability
to pull enormous loads

uphill at high speeds.

The torque is how hard
that shaft will turn,

and the horsepower
is how fast it'll go.

When the engine fires up,
it tries to twist

in the opposite direction
of the drivetrain.

That's called a torque twist.

All that power lifts
the front wheels off the ground,

like popping a wheelie.

The engine's generating
so much torque force,

it really wants to twist itself
out of the truck.

NARRATOR:
But these souped-up trucks

with maxed-out engines

have to get all that power
into the wheels.

The axles are
where the power transfer starts.

An axle is the metal bar
connecting two wheels

so they spin together in sync.

It takes engine power

and turns the wheels
to move the truck.

In big rigs, these are massive
compared to your car's axles.

They handle
insane torque and weight,

so they're built like
tank parts.

When the axle spins,
it drives the tires.

So, the axle is directly bolted
to the hub in the tire.

This is the axle housing.
Those take a lot of abuse

because of the weight
and the power that we have.

They can twist up to
a quarter of a turn

without breaking,
and they just rebound.

NARRATOR:
All that torque means nothing

without rubber
that can grip the ground.

PAUL:
The tires we run

are a waste-hauler
logging-truck tire.

They're about 20 millimetres
wider than

a standard truck tire,
and that extra width

gives us a significant amount
of traction.

And we also run the tires
at a lower pressure

to lengthen out
our contact patch.

The contact patch is the portion
of the vehicle's tire

that is in actual contact
with the ground surface.

The larger the patch,
the more friction the tire has

with the ground,
creating the grip.

More grip enhances the truck's
ability to accelerate and brake.

NARRATOR:
Everything on these trucks

is built to take a beating.

It's all about riding the line
between automotive engineering

at its best and total chaos.

LELAND:
Something would happen

that the engine wanted
to run away.

If a turbo blows,
it'd be like a bomb under here.

NARRATOR:
When pulling massive loads,

components can overheat,
fuel lines burst,

engines strain,

and sometimes,
something's going to give.

SPECTATOR:
Whoa!

MIKE: Right here,
the engine is at full power.

We actually had a part of
the engine come out and go over

and hit the block over there.

LELAND:
There's been cases where

they're making about
5,000 or 6,000 horse.

So, they're driving down
the track

and the engine block splits
right above the crankshaft,

right in here,
and it has actually blown up

out of the truck,

blown the hood
and everything off.

NARRATOR: But even seemingly
insignificant components

can go a long way
in saving drivers from harm.

There's a safety thing
that's required in the rules.

That's just a normal steel cable

that you can buy
at the hardware store.

Cable holds everything together.
If the engine block

ever decides to split
and leave the chass,

so it doesn't go flying
and you run over it.

It can still break apart,

but it's not going to
jump out of the truck.

NARRATOR: Sometimes,
accidents are explosive.

Other times,
they're small failures

that can bring rigs
to a grinding halt.

Well, we just broke
our transmission.

NARRATOR: Big-rig race trucks
are pushed to their limits,

so breakdowns happen,

but losing your transmission
could mean game over.

Transmissions
are incredibly complicated.

Hundreds of parts. Gear sets.
Input, main and countershafts.

Gear synchronizers.

Figuring out which part failed

can take time that racers
just don't have.

So, they often choose

to just swap out
the entire transmission.

This is what I expected.

A second gear that's been
a problem before.

It just shelled all the piece
off of it.

PATRICK: Transmission transfers
engine power to the wheels.

When you're hauling heavy loads
at high speed,

misaligned gears
can grind each other to pieces,

like two buzzsaws colliding.

There's our spare transmission
that we got to get in there.

This should be just as good
as the other one.

I'm probably going to have
to launch in a different gear.

CLARENCE: Truck transmissions
are made to handle

immense power and torque,

translating the engine's raw
force into controlled motion,

enable the truck to move,
and in this case,

power them up steep inclines.

Here they come with the jack.

NARRATOR: Forget what you know
about regular repairs.

When you're dealing with
supersized parts,

everyone has to help out.

In the full-throttle world
of semi racing,

mechanical failure
comes with the territory.

DUMARESQ:
Truckers spend all year

preparing for this event,

so swapping out such a crucial
component at the last minute

can shake the confidence of
even the most seasoned driver.

We're going to try to go
700 foot

in about 15 or 16 seconds
up a 10% grade.

There's a lot of parts in there
that are taking

two or three times the abuse
that they were meant for.

We'll see how that goes.

NARRATOR:
63,500 kilograms.

That's like pulling 40 cars
up a hill.

This is where engineering comes
face to face with Lady Luck.

Rigs like these
don't come with warranties

on their custom parts,
so they could last 50 runs

or be toast
after one trip up the hill.

PATRICK: The greatest feeling
is when the clutch engages,

when the tires grab traction

and the engine is at full RPM.

It's the kind of power
and motion

that just sets you back
in your seat

and you can feel the thrust.

- (Indistinct shouting)
- DRIVER: Got it.

(Indistinct shouting continues)

When you take off,
it can feel good.

Get every gear just like
you should, and get a win.

NARRATOR:
All that hard work pays off.

The Zimmerman big rig

drives straight
into the winner's circle.

Taking a highway truck
that used to haul groceries

and jacking up the horsepower
to ridiculous degrees

is proof that, well,
thinking really, really big

can make the impossible
look like a hell of a good time.

Yeah. It's crazy.

That's a hard truck to beat, too.

NARRATOR:
Every element of this big rig

comes together to create
two winners:

a driver
and their mighty machine.

Thanks to everyone involved,
and thanks to Mike and Billy

for making a great show
as always. Thank you.

NARRATOR:
Year after year,

these rigs dominate the hill,
proving that steel, diesel

and determination
can transform regular rigs

into racing legends.

SPECTATOR 1:
Whoa! Let's go.

(Man shouting indistinctly)

NARRATOR:
The Saipem 7000,

an elite vessel

tackling the biggest
deep-sea construction projects

around the globe.

Its mission?

To lift gigantic structures
and install them in

the world's most hostile
maritime environments.

FRANCESCO DI PIETRO:
The Saipem 7000

can work in the shallow water,
deeper water.

Heavy lift, pipelay. Everything
is possible for this vessel.

NARRATOR:
It's semi-submersible.

It can raise itself higher
or lower depending on the job.

It's not a conventional vessel.

You won't find
the usual hull shape

in the bow and the stern.

The way the vessel was built,

that was by building
two separate hull

that in this moment are
underwater and cannot be seen.

NARRATOR:
This unique ability

is controlled by
the vessel's ballast system.

JAMES DERICK ALFONSO: We are
on the bottom part of the ship.

All of this will go underwater.
It will sink

while we are filling
the water in the ballast tank.

This vessel has the rare ability

to sink itself deeper
into the water

by flooding
those internal tanks.

And then, just like an iceberg,

the deeper it sits
the more stable it becomes,

giving it rock-solid positioning

for all
its heavy lifting operations.

So, here beside me is
what we call the rapid valves.

It's two metres in diameter.

When we open this one,

it's filling up to
150 bathtubs per second.

22 tons per second.

NARRATOR:
Its massive water tanks flood

and empty
with the push of a button,

giving this vessel
a greater level of stability

as it lowers deeper
into the water.

The Saipem 7000's
54 ballast tanks

hold 40 Olympic swimming pools'
worth of space.

The lower hull of the vessel
is divided into tanks,

each subdivided into chambers,
like an aquatic beehive.

And the columns of the hull
house a combined

14 gravity-fed
rapid valve tanks,

the most frequently used tanks
of the ballast system.

When their huge two-metre valves
open,

seawater surges into
or out of the tanks

and the deck level
lifts or lowers.

The ballast system is simple.

Add seawater into the tanks to
increase the weight of the ship,

sinking it lower for stability,

or pump it out to lighten up

and rise higher
above the water line.

When you add more water,
the weight increases,

and it gives the crew

a more stable foundation
to work from.

STEVEN: This system
becomes even more important

when bad weather hits.

Sitting lower in the water
creates more stability.

As the Saipem 7000 is battered
by waves and wind,

it allows it to take
that punishment

without being tossed around as
much as a normal vessel would.

NARRATOR: In this line of work,
stability is essential.

The operational deck
has to be still and stay still

for the vessel's true purpose.

FRANCESCO: This is the reason
why Saipem 7000 exists:

the two main crane.

NARRATOR:
These aren't ordinary cranes.

They're 200-metre steel giants
with a critical capability

that defines what
the Saipem 7000 can accomplish.

NEWSHA HAGHGOO:
These twin cranes

are built for the heaviest
of lifts.

They can work independently
or in total synchronization,

distributing enormous weight
evenly

to accomplish lifts
that would crush a single crane.

JEANETTE SOUTHWOOD: Cranes
synchronize when a single crane

can't safely handle the load,

whether it's too heavy,
too long, or awkwardly shaped.

Like offshore platforms,

bridge sections, wind turbines,

anything massive that needs
multiple lifting points

to stay balanced.

NARRATOR:
Each crane can lift 7,000 tons.

That's like picking up
the Eiffel Tower.

But they're even stronger
when they work together.

ROBERTO SPREAFICO:
Two cranes can lift in a tandem

up to 14,000 tons.

NEWSHA: Tandem lifting
allows for more efficient

and faster construction of
large, complex offshore work.

NARRATOR: The crane's boom arms
are marvels of engineering.

Each arm is as long as
a professional soccer field

and can reach far past the edge
of the ship's deck.

CLARENCE:
With a 360° rotation,

these cranes work like
a sprinkler head,

covering an incredible range
by simply pivoting

from their fixed base

that's built into
the deck of the vessel.

Greater range eliminates
any wasted movements

and the need to reposition
the Saipem itself.

(Man speaking
indistinctly over radio)

NARRATOR:
In their lifetime,

the twin cranes have hauled
millions of tons of cargo

on and off its deck.

Right now,
we are preparing the vessel

to install
an offshore substation.

It's essentially
a very big towering steel

that rest on the seabed.

This is the kind of job that
the Saipem 7000 specializes in.

A wind substation is a power hub
sitting in the ocean,

collecting electricity
from wind turbines.

To anchor turbines
to the sea floor,

you need piles,
massive steel cylinders,

as the turbine's
structural support.

NARRATOR:
These turbine piles

tip the scales at 375 tons,

heavier than a 747 airliner.

But before the installation job
can begin,

they have to load up the cargo.

NARRATOR: Barges bring
eight of the giant piles

to the broadside
of the Saipem 7000.

The crew prepares the piles
for hoisting.

Like blades
on a Swiss Army knife,

the crane has a range of hooks
for different loads.

ROBERTO SPREAFICO: One hook,
which is 7,000 tons capacity.

Then, we have another hook
which is 2,500 tons.

A third hook which is 900 tons,

and is mainly used for
underwater operation.

It can reach up to 370 metres
water depth.

And then, we have a small
whip hook which is 120 tons,

that we are using
for the normal operation.

NARRATOR:
These cranes are not just good

at lifting heavy things.

They're good at lifting heavy,
awkward construction materials.

These piles are more than
70 metres long.

The crane is lifting the piles
that will be used

to fix a support structure
to the seabed.

NARRATOR:
One by one,

the piles are hoisted
onto the deck.

The cranes work in tandem,

with the choreography
of a construction ballet.

A tandem lift involves securing
both cranes' hooks

to a single large structure,

and then
operating both cranes in unison.

It requires precision planning
and communication

from the operator
to the ground crew

to ensure
the load's centre of gravity

is balanced between the cranes.

NARRATOR: The cranes
are not just super-strong.

They're super-smart.

Okay. Copy that. Stand by.

Computers and sensors
are the thinking power

behind the lifting prowess.

They track weight, position,
weather,

and use multiple cameras

to identify objects
in the workspace

so they can pull off
the perfect lift.

NARRATOR:
It's an uplifting combination.

Computing power
and mechanical power

come together
in perfect synchrony.

This complex pulley system
distributes weight

and multiplies
the crane's lifting power.

NEWSHA:
The hoist system is made up of

winches, cables, pulleys
and motors.

Think of it like the crane's
tendons and muscles.

We are in the main crane
machinery room.

Here, we have the wires which
control the boom of the crane

and every single hook.

We are talking about
almost 20 kilometres of wire.

This is really a unique piece
of equipment.

The crane's pulley system
makes lifting easier

by spreading the weight
across all of the wires.

More pulleys
means less force needed to lift.

It's kind of like inviting
all of your friends over

to help you lift
something heavy.

JEANETTE: They're suspending
thousands of tons

in mid-air over open water.

Cables aren't just holding
the weight.

They're also absorbing the
constant movement of the waves,

the wind and the vessel.

NARRATOR:
The Saipem 7000's cranes

hoist these jumbo cylinders
like they're soda straws.

Slowly, carefully, the turbine
piles are placed one by one

on the deck
of this amazing vessel.

(Crew member speaking Italian)

Yeah. We're ready.

I am ready.

(Man speaking indistinctly
over radio)

Copy that.

Coming down easy.

All stop.

NARRATOR:
The Saipem 7000 and its crew

are no strangers
to big lifts.

It's become part of
their daily routine.

FRANCESCO: She can work
in any kind of latitude.

This is why
this vessel is special,

one of the giant in the world.

NARRATOR:
The vessel has navigated

hundreds of thousands
of kilometres

around the globe,

and has conquered huge projects
across every ocean.

We're talking about a vessel
that has travelled far enough

to circle the earth
more than a dozen times.

That's farther than
the trip to the moon.

NARRATOR:
All this power starts below deck

in a vast series
of engine rooms.

MAN: We have six engine room
with 12 engine.

Everything is powered by
this engine,

from the auxiliaries,

from the ballast pump
for the main cranes,

even for the lighting
on the toilet. (Chuckling)

NARRATOR: But it's the Saipem
7000's power-lifting prowess

that gets most deep-sea
construction crews excited.

Back in 2004, it shattered

the world offshore lifting
record

by hoisting a 12,150-ton
platform in Libya.

Normally, world records
aren't broken by standing still,

but the Saipem 7000
is all about stability.

GIACOMO BRIGLI:
This vessel,

because of this
very huge superstructure,

is very affected by the wind,

especially because the
crane now is very, very tall.

But the current as well
can be a challenge.

A big part of the vessel
is submergent

while we are in operation.

NARRATOR:
Maintaining a precise position

in moving water is a trick
at the best of times.

So, when the water gets rough,

the tough get dynamic.

This is (Unclear)
dynamic position.

It's a system that can lead to
the Saipem 7000 to work

without the use of the anchors.

NARRATOR:
The Saipem 7000's twin cranes

depend on dynamic positioning
to stabilize the ship

so they can hoist safely.

Computer-controlled thrusters
fire in precise bursts

to hold the ship in position.

All of it is controlled from
a panel

in the ship's command centre.

FRANCESCO: In total,
we have 12 thrusters here

that allow to us to have
a full system

with the full DP.

The ability to stay in one spot
without dropping anchor

is a huge advantage for
the flexibility of the vessel

when the crew needs to drill,
lay cables, or build

when they're in
extremely deep waters.

NARRATOR:
With anchors, you drop cables,

lock in position, do your work,
then haul everything back up

before moving to the next spot.
With dynamic positioning,

the vessel simply shifts
to the next position.

No anchors to drop, no cables to
retrieve. Just continuous work.

Dynamic positioning is basically
a 360 autopilot system

that allows ships
to stay in one spot.

It employs GPS, sonar,
and a slew of sensors

which control
underwater thrusters

that continually adjust the ship
to counteract waves

and currents
and the motion of the cranes,

ultimately keeping
the vessel stationary.

NARRATOR: There are
four fixed-pitch azimuth

or 360° thruster units
at the back of the hull.

These are the main propulsion
units moving the vessel

and putting it
into specific positions.

There are six
retractable thrusters

that can be pulled
inside the hull

when the vessel is in transit,

and there are two
tunnel thrusters on the bottom.

Once on site, these thrusters
lock the vessel in place,

turning it into
a stationary worksite

that can stay
exactly where it needs to be.

The important thing
on the dynamic position

is that we are able to stay

within one metre
when we are there.

That is important,
because sometimes,

we are not so far
from the (Unclear)

so that the movement
is not so big.

Otherwise, it-- They fracture.

NARRATOR:
Combining perfect positioning

and colossal lifting,
the Saipem 7000

is an essential partner
in deep-sea construction.

The 7000 keeps
a sense of belonging

to a team that doesn't just
complete a job or do a task.

It does make something that,
up to that moment,

was considered not possible

or something
that nobody has done before.

NARRATOR: With
depth-controlling ballast tanks

and colossal cranes
that dominate deep-sea lifts...

...the Saipem 7000 sails
the world,

handling storms that send lesser
vessels speeding for port.

Highly regarded for
its engineering and construction

of offshore
energy infrastructure,

it picks things up

and puts them down like
no other machine in the world.

A floating testament
to human ingenuity,

the power
that makes power happen.

Deep in the grain belt,
legions of mechanical giants

turn fields into food
to feed the world.

This is one of the most advanced
agricultural machines

on the planet...

...cutting, threshing...

...churning...

...devouring 23 football fields'
worth of wheat an hour.

That's enough grain
to fill 40 semi-trucks a day.

This is
the John Deere X9 combine.

Combines are so-called
because they combine

six important harvesting
functions on the farm

into one powerful machine.

They cut and feed,
thresh and separate,

clean and manage the grain.

They're farming factories
on wheels.

DAVID YANG:
Combines are basically

an automated
rolling processing plant,

doing in minutes
what used to take farmers

days on end to accomplish
by hand or with lesser machines.

NARRATOR: But before
this harvesting powerhouse

can take to the fields,

it takes shape
in a state-of-the-art factory.

NARRATOR: Here
at John Deere Harvester Works,

separate parts become
an entire machine.

NEWSHA:
The assembly of big machines

requires a very big factory.

This place is the equivalent

of 53 football fields'
worth of space,

making it one of the largest

agricultural manufacturing
facilities in the world,

and it employs
nearly 2,000 people.

JOSE MARTINEZ RAMOS:
At first

I was very surprised,
'cause I didn't think

a machine would be this big.

NARRATOR:
Here, those 18,000-plus pieces

are shaped...

There's so many components
that go into that machine.

NARRATOR:
...sealed and assembled.

It's one of the mightiest
farming machines ever created.

From the factory to the farm,
this is what it's all about.

While combines come in various
models and sizes today,

their development
was a long time coming.

For thousands of years,
harvesting grain

was done mostly using
hand tools.

Cutting, bundling

and removing the grains
from the stalks

took hundreds of hours.

NEWSHA: The first combine,
invented in 1836,

was a massive wooden machine

pulled by a team
of up to 30 mules.

Their strength turned
the wheels of the system,

moving the internal parts
of the combine

and harvesting the grain.

NARRATOR:
By the mid-20th century,

the Industrial Revolution
modernized the farm.

Animals were mostly replaced

by gas- and diesel-powered
tractors.

DAVID:
Steam-powered threshers

separate the grains
from the husks of plants,

and other machines, like
early pull-behind combines,

made farming less challenging

while increasing the amount
of crops a farmer could manage.

John Deere's Model 55
changed the game

as the first American-made
self-propelled combine.

PATRICK:
A self-propelled combine

only needed one person to run it

and a second
to haul the grain away,

drastically reducing
labour costs for the farmers.

NARRATOR:
Very quickly, the combine

became the king of the harvest.

But a farming giant like this

doesn't just roll off
the production line.

It's a built-to-order type
that begins in the factory.

KARTHIK KANAGASABAPATHY:
Industrial fibre-optic

laser stations
turn raw sheet metal

into combine parts,
chassis components,

and the sides of the grain tank

by vaporizing or melting metal
into specific pieces.

So, this is an entire
right-hand-side sheet frame.

This is the entire length
of the combine.

So, pretty cool that we're able
to move that with one robot arm

from one fixture to another
automatically.

NARRATOR:
With the help of robots,

the factory turns 54,000 tons
of sheet steel

into combine parts each year.

That's enough steel
to build 22,000 cars.

BRYCE:
That's one of the biggest arms

that we have
here in this factory.

This is a large
material handler.

It's going to come over
on this track

and pick up a gripper tool.
It's a custom tool

designed to pick up the entire
side sheet of the combine.

NARRATOR:
Robotic welding arms

along with human counterparts

ensure the combines
are built strong...

...to handle
the enormous physical stresses

of harvesting at high speeds.

BRYCE:
That is a new substitute

for, like,
a spot-welding application.

This is a much stronger joint

and a much more
reliable process,

that we can build
an entire side sheet in one shot

without human interaction.

KARTHIK:
The shift towards robotic labour

for repetitive tasks makes
the process more efficient

and reliable,
requiring less time

and less welding
to get the job done right.

NARRATOR:
But some pieces still need

the steady hand of a human.

Well, I'm actually building
the actual side sheet,

where all the pulleys
and the belts

and everything else go onto.

Everything connects to this.

There we go.
That's the finish-off

of that weld right there.

Human skill
is always going to be necessary,

even when the robots
are perfected.

You still need someone
to look it over

before it gets sent up to paint
to be taken to the main line.

NARRATOR:
When it's time to paint,

this isn't a single coat
to make it look pretty.

It's a specialized
suit of armour

made from electrostatic paint.

TODD: That paint stays
for that customer

17, 18, 19 years down the line,

for that second
and third customer, too.

We have four robots in this cell

that will apply the paint
electrostatically.

We use electrostatics to get
that high rate of efficiency.

PATRICK: Electrostatic paint
is basically magnetic.

By giving the paint droplets
an electric charge

and applying the opposite charge
to the object being painted,

or the combine part,

the paint will be attracted
to its surface.

KARTHIK: The electric charge
guarantees consistent thickness

and an even finish,

especially with intricate parts
and hard-to-reach areas.

NARRATOR:
Parts are transformed

with a specialized
protective coating.

That paint coverage
on top of the parts

is what really adds
that extra protection

and preserves that product
for the whole life

that the farmer wants to use it.

NARRATOR: Conveyors
stretching 16 kilometres

hang above the factory,

hauling, heaving and hustling
every last part into place,

including the all-important
axles of the combine.

The axle there
is about 100 parts to attach.

It's a core piece
of the equipment.

NARRATOR:
Built to hold loads

that are double
their own weight,

these axles are designed
to grind through fields of dirt,

mud and intense weather
without ever giving in.

An empty combine is already the
weight of 15 average-sized cars.

Add to that a full tank
of grain?

It's like adding
a full-sized school bus on top.

The axles have to hold all
of it, so they have to be tough.

DEWAYNE: It keeps the machine
moving down the field

and helps with the steering
of it as well.

The durability and strength
of this axle

is amazing and incredible.

It's able to plow bigger crops
for the farmers.

Saves them a lot of time.

NARRATOR:
Hoses dangle

as they wait to join
the underside of the combine...

I'm hanging the hose hangers
for the four-wheel drive option.

NARRATOR:
...and bolts await their union

with the big green machine.

This is the transmission
right now.

I'm going to secure
the top portion of it.

Once I get it flush,

I can attach a washer
and a screw to this side.

NARRATOR: With the body
of the combine tightly secured,

now comes the moment to drop

the machine's most important
muscle into place.

We have a department called 550,
and they do all the engine work.

They do the fuel tank. They do
the hoses, the harnesses,

the fan
that keeps the engine cool.

DAVID:
This allows for innovative,

specialized engine development,

like greater fuel capacity
and efficiency,

so it can run
eight to 10 hours straight

without refuelling.
An absolute necessity.

PATRICK: The engine's job
is to ensure enough power

and consistent operation
to handle

the various heavy-duty tasks

that a combine tackles
during harvest season.

DAVID: For many crops,
there's a limited window

for optimal harvest,

so you have to make hay
while the sun shines.

NARRATOR: Connecting the engine
with the combine

is an intricate process

that needs to be done
with precision.

Right now, he's just
setting the engine down

on the frame of the combine.
The engine has to be secure

before they do anything
because of how heavy it is.

I'm just lining them up.

NARRATOR:
Bolting the engine to the frame

stabilizes it, letting
the combine's steel frame

absorb the intense vibrations
when it's operating on the farm.

JUSTIN: This is a large engine,
so it's got to get through

the fields for the customer
to get the job done.

BRIANNA: So, this is what he
uses to tighten the bolts down.

It's very fascinating.

It's safe
after we've tied everything.

It's set to a specific torque

to torque down the bolt
to the nut.

KARTHIK: Not only are they ideal
for heavy-duty, repetitive tasks

where a manual wrench
would be too slow.

They're made
with smart technology.

The computer tells the worker

when they have
tightened a bolt enough,

ensuring each combine
is properly fitted

before assembly can continue.

Looks good over here.

- Good.
- Thank you.

NARRATOR: The grain tank
is inspected and secured,

becoming the machine's
steel stomach.

JOSH HENSLEY:
Just making sure

everything's lined up,

and they're just making sure
everything's straight,

'cause if it's off
by any sort of degree,

then we have to pull it all out
and take it out,

and have repair come and fix it.

NARRATOR:
With so much grain

travelling into
and out of the tank daily,

leaks could be costly.

DAVE HANSON: It's got a lot
of augers on the inside of it.

It's got a few other things
to help move the grain

and the other stuff around
for when you open your auger

and unload it into your truck.

NARRATOR:
The enormous,

nearly nine-and-a-half metre
unloading auger

is a giant spiral-shaped tool

that transfers grain
into waiting trucks.

Any problem with the auger

has to be detected
and addressed here.

DAVE: I got to pay attention
to where it's at

so we can get them down
without damaging it.

NEWSHA:
Combines are on the front lines

of the global food supply chain,

and these made-to-order machines
have to perform,

no matter the crop
or the weather.

NARRATOR: At the next station
is the header,

the combine's
most critical component.

It's the tool that gives
this beast its bite:

the harvesting head.

PATRICK:
The header is what cuts,

grabs and feeds the crop
into the machine,

And for a top-of-the-line
machine like this one,

the head is customized for
different crops and conditions

with a range of widths
and shapes.

NARRATOR: The two main options
are corn heads,

with individual row units

for harvesting tall stalks
of corn,

and draper heads, so named
because they drape-cut crops

onto belts that bring them
into the system.

My station up here
is actually responsible

for three different types
of hinged draper.

The one up in the middle
of the build right now

is a 50-foot flex.

We're actually installing
this top on her.

NARRATOR:
The iconic rotating reel arm

is added to the header.

The reel is actually bringing
the crop into the machine.

It's designed to take it
and grab it and pull it.

NARRATOR:
But its cutting tool

gets all the glory
for good reason.

We have the knife
installed here.

The knife is actually going to
move back and forth like this.

These are super-super-sharp.

NARRATOR:
Out in the field,

these oscillating blades
slice through stalks in seconds

so the crops
can be swiftly carried

into the belly
of this green goliath.

With the cutting-edge cab
attached...

CASEY JACKSON: This is basically
the farmer's castle

until he's done getting all
his harvest out of the field.

NARRATOR:
...all circuits connected

and components tested...

I got the best job in the world,
'cause everybody

inside that factory
wants to be out here driving.

NARRATOR: ...a completed
combine comes to life.

What we have here is
an X9 machine

straight off the assembly line.

So, it's the first time
the key's actually turned on.

The motor fires,
and all the hydraulic systems,

electrical systems,
all the belts, pumps and pulleys

are going to be moving for the
first time, and it's right here.

NARRATOR:
A combine, as the name implies,

is the sum of its parts,

making these colossal machines
some of the mightiest on earth.

WORKER: Yeah. They're big,
but the durability and strength

of them is amazing.

It's amazing
what this X9 machine can do.

NARRATOR:
All 18,000-plus parts unite

as one relentless harvesting
heavyweight hero,

ready for the field.

♪