How many men does it take to lift Australia’s heaviest pumpkin?

No job is too big for Two Men And A Truck, and we like a challenge too – even if it’s a hypothetical one.

So when we saw the record breaking giant pumpkin at Sydney’s Royal Easter Show this month, we wanted to put its size and weight in perspective. Dale Oliver of Knockrow, in northern NSW, planted the seed that broke records to become Australia’s heaviest pumpkin – weighing in at 618kg. The farmer claims his pumpkin is naturally grown and steroid-free, from a seed imported from Canada. “The pumpkin can be stored in any temperature, but you do need to look after it properly,” he said.

The monster orange pumpkin took 85 days of nurturing with nutrients, water and the right weather conditions before it was pulled from the ground and stored in a shed to mature. But despite the size of the vegetable, Dale wouldn’t recommend carving it up for a Sunday roast or a pumpkin soup, unless you were ‘horribly, horribly hungry’.

So.. down to business. If one man can carry 32kg (maximum single-load weight advised by transport industry), how many men would be required to lift the pumpkin?

See below for the answer.

Read about our other hypthetical logistical challenges:

Last year we pondered a whale of a removal when a humpback carcass washed onto a Sydney beach. Read more

Then when the world’s second biggest supertrawler arrived in Tasmania we calculated the effort required to transport its averag catch of the day. Read more

And in January this year, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman brought a giant yellow rubber duck into Sydney Harbour on a custom-made 10-tonne barge. Read more
The answer is… 20 men.

Photo: Courtesy Sydney Royal Easter Show blog https://blog.eastershow.com.au