Moving the Earth (5th Edition)

"The most comprehensive source of basic excavation information available." -- Construction Methods & Equipment

"The down-in-the-dirt standard work for the excavation industry." —- Military Engineer

"Helps solve the thousands of problems that face the earthmoving contractor. Complete, well-illustrated."
-- Construction Equipment

Since 1955, Moving the Earth has stood as the standard source of practical expertise for the excavation and construction industries. Geared to the needs of those who do the actual earthmoving, this is a book as massive as the tasks it details -- an all-encompassing guide that covers every aspect of site preparation and management, and that details every machine and vehicle needed to perform each task.

This fifth edition completely updates readers on the latest advances in equipment and operating techniques, as well as important new safety, regulatory, and environmental methods.

From clearing the land to tunneling beneath it ... from old-fashioned hand leveling to highly accurate laser alignment ... from freeing a tractor from the mud to basic bookkeeping to keep your costs from bogging down ... this book explains how to do it correctly and efficiently. For the small contractor, the supervisor, and the operator—as well as the engineer, the architect, the superintendent, and the student -- Moving the Earth is a professional accessory as indispensable as your hard hat.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE TO FIFTH EDITION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST EDITION
Part 1 - The Work
Chapter 1: Land Clearing and Controls
Chapter 2: Surveys and Measurements
Chapter 3: Rock, Soil, and Mud
Chapter 4: Basements
Chapter 5: Ditching and Dewatering
Chapter 6: Ponds and Earth Dams
Chapter 7: Landscaping and Agricultural Grading
Chapter 8: Roadways
Chapter 9: Blasting and Tunneling
Chapter 10: Pit Operation
Chapter 11: Costs and Management
Part 2 - The Machines
Chapter 12: Basic Information
Chapter 13: Revolving Shovels and Excavators
Chapter 14: Conveyor Machinery
Chapter 15: Tractors and Bulldozers
Chapter 16: Front-End Loaders
Chapter 17: Scrapers
Chapter 18: Trucks
Chapter 19: Grading and Compacting Machinery
Chapter 20: Compressors and Drills
Chapter 21: Auxiliary Equipment
APPENDIX
GLOSSARY
INDEX

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Herbert L. Nichols, Jr., has devoted most of his business and professional life to earth-moving and heavy equipment. A longtime private consultant, he owned his own excavation and grading business in Connecticut for many years. In addition to his widely translated benchmark work Moving the Earth, he is the author of Excavator Operation, Heavy Equipment Repair, and numerous other books and manuals in the field. He is a member of the American Association of Cost Engineers, the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and the American Welding Society. He lives in Roswell, Georgia.

David A. Day, P.E., is a consultant with ABCO Engineering Corporation, with nearly 50 years of experience in civil engineering and construction. A graduate of Cornell University and the University of Illinois with a master's degree in construction and structures, he is the author of Construction Equipment Guide. Mr. Day is also a Life Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, where he helped start the annual Underground Technology Conference (UTC), and a Life Member of the National Society of Professional Engineers. He lives in Centennial, Colorado.