In large mobile equipment in seismically active regions, seismic stability is often a decisive design criterion, and the behaviour of this large equipment, which is characterised by uplift, tilting and rocking, can only be calculated by means of nonlinear time history analyses. Here, the model damping approach has a significant influence on the results of these analyses but there are no scientific approaches for large mobile equipment with nonlinear behaviour such as uplift. In this paper, possible theoretical damping approaches for nonlinear time history analysis of structures with uplift such as large mobile equipment are discussed and numerical studies are conducted to investigate the influence of damping in the model on the concise results of the typical behaviour of large mobile equipment under seismic excitation. A suitable new approach is to be developed and a way of practical implementation is being prepared. Experimental studies on real typical bucket wheel machines will identify and validate important natural frequencies and associated damping for the numerical approach. These can be applied in numerical models using the damping approach engineered in the theoretical part. Thus, realistic results of the numerical models under nonlinear seismic time history analyses can be expected and more precise conclusions on the distinctive behaviour of large mobile equipment with uplift can be drawn.