MOVING THE EARTH
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
HERBERT L. NICHOLS, JR., devoted most of his business and professional life to earthmoving 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 was the author of Excavator Operation, Heavy Equipment Repair, and numerous other books and manuals in the field. He was a member of the American Association of Cost Engineers, the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and the American Welding Society.
DAVID A. DAY P.E., is a consultant with more than 50 years of experience in civil engineering and construction. A graduate of Cornell University and the University of Illinois with a masters 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 Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
MOVING THE EARTH
The Workbook of Excavation
Herbert L. Nichols, Jr.
David A. Day, P.E.
Sixth Edition
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CONTENTS
PREFACE TO SIXTH EDITION
This sixth edition of the classic book, Moving the Earth, is an update to make it more international, including metric units following English units, and referring to global work and machines. The great value of this excavation workbook has been preserved, as far as possible, since many of the techniques covered in the previous editions have not changed appreciably. Of course, many of those techniques, which were the outgrowth of early tried and true methods, have been modified by modern equipment and machinery.
The new edition introduces many of the latest developments including:
Connected Community with GPS to get design plans distributed promptly
Automatic controls for accuracy in digging and grading
A rock lab and other services to help contractors solve their frequent problems with rock
Special equipment with ability to read the compaction being achieved
Computerized drilling on ground surface for accuracy and speed
Using GPS system to track all business data and deliver it promptly to those who need to know
Equipment Training Simulators for new operators on certain difficult equipment
Use of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to eliminate toxic exhaust
Reducing diesel emissions by using grade control products in the machines
Preparation for EPA requirements in the United States to take effect in 2012
Automatic machine calculation of the hydraulic need for given load and lifting situation
New excavator designed specifically for handling pipe laying work
Hybrid electric drive introduced in equipment to save on fuel and parts
Compact skid steer loaders and excavators with faster loading and greater lifting capacity
Determining scraper life and the development of larger towed scrapers;
Introduction of an improved truck suspension system to reduce stress on the operator
Side dumper piece of equipment for special use like a front-end loader
A joystick system replacing the multiple levers for operating a motor grader
Development of horizontal drilling equipment to precisely control on-grade installation
The makes and models of equipment included in the sixth edition are not intended to suggest that they are the best ones to use, but they have been included as giving the best example for the point to be explained. As mentioned with the previous two editions, it has been an honor and challenge to extend the the great value of this book originated by Herbert L. Nichols, Jr. for the benefit of many contractors and others working to move the earth for the advancement of mankind.
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