Product Description

Updated to reflect methods used according to current requirements and regulations. The first 11 chapters discuss the work itself and the basic ways to do it, the machines and operation techniques, the problems that arise, the application of different types of equipment, and costs and management. The next 10 chapters focus on the machines themselves and operating techniques. From site preparation to blasting and tunneling, pneumatic drills to the largest power shovels, it covers every step of every kind of excavating project and all the practical aspects of using the machines and vehicles involved. The 5th edition is being directed to include the latest in equipment and operating techniques and safety methods.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #353909 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1296 pages

From the Back Cover
150,000+ COPIES SOLD!

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

THE WORK
• Land Clearing & Controls
• Surveys & Measurements
• Rock, Soil, & Mud
• Basements
• Ditching & Dewatering
• Ponds & Earth Dams
• Landscaping & Agricultural Grading
• Roadways
• Blasting & Tunneling
• Pit Operation
• Costs & Management

  THE MACHINES

• Basic Information
• Revolving Shovel & Excavators
• Conveyor Machinery
• Tractors & Bulldozers
• Front-End Loaders
• Scrapers & Trucks
• Grading & Compacting Machinery
• Compressors & Drills
• Auxiliary Equipment

CRITICS APPROVE
"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

About the Author
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.

Customer Reviews

Excellent basic reference
I ordered the latest edition of this book for my husband, who had spent hours studying the previous one. Whether you're operating a dozer or an excavator, or even a Bobcat; transplanting trees, landscaping, making stock ponds or building roads... this is a valuable reference.

A excellent resource for a construction manager
Although this book is intended and best suited for those working full time in excavation, it is also a useful reference for the construction manager/general contractor.

The treatment of excavation methods seen from the viewpoint of those actually doing the work provided additional information and insight for those managing the whole project. The explantions were both detailed and practical, and the pictures and diagrams were helpful. Although the later sections on equipment problably will not be useful to me, I could not help reading them.

A valuable addition to my reference library.

Choosing Project Success - A Guide for Building Professionals

Fine Book
I wish I had this book when I was starting off; would have saved me a few grey hairs. Moving The Earth does a fine job at covering many situations that "dirt guys" find themselves in. This book won't teach you everything about earthwork, but it is an excellent reference that I would recommend to anyone involved excavation projects.