Customer Reviews

Yellow Steel: The Story of the Earthmoving Equipment Industry

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Mention the words "yellow steel" to just about anyone and the image that most comes to mind is that of Caterpillar, whether bulldozer, excavator, or grader. And just about every child has been awed by the size and abilty of these large machines; witness the huge amount of toy bulldozers, excavators, dump trucks, etc.

But it has been this childlike awe that has prevented a serious look at the earthmoving industry and, especially, its history. When I look at a documentary or a book on the Ford Mustang, for instance, I will see the history, the roots, and the legend of the car, as well as several past year models which led to the present model. Now, if I watch a documentary or read a book on earthmoving equipment, all I see are the biggest trucks, shovels and tractors. Books are listed with title adjectives like "Giant" "Huge" "Colossal," and the like. It's as if no one really wants to take this industry seriously.

The irony, of course, is that if it weren't for the earthmoving industry, there would be no interstate highway system, Hoover and Grand Coolee Dams, housing projects, sewer systems, or flood control. Perhaps a case could also be made that the environment would also be in better shape, but I rather doubt it.

William R. Haycraft, a former employee for Caterpillar Tractor, has written the first comprehensive history of this fascinating business. He covers the history of the earthmoving industry and the forces, economic and social, that contributed to the development of mechanized earthmoving equipment. The intelligence of the book reveals itself in its detailed coverage of the development of various types of machinery and the companies that manufactured them. From Adams road graders to Volvo wheel loaders, Haycraft informs the reader every step of the way, from company formation to (all too often) dissolution at the hands of both supply and demand - and other companies via merger. He also tells us how the strength of the American dollar, combined with fatal mistakes by the likes of International Harvester, Allis-Chalmbers and Bucyrus-Erie, and near-fatal mistakes by Caterpillar, allowed Japanese companies like Komatsu and Mitsubishi to not only gain an entry into the American marketplace with lower priced equipment, but, through mergers and buyouts of existing companies, to nearly achieve a complete dominationation of the marketplace.

Lavishly illustrated and intelligently captioned, Yellow Steel is an indispensible volume for industrial historians, social historians, and everyone who always wanted to drive such a machine.

This book gives an excellent history of excavating equipment and it's history. The pictures were detailed and interesting to look at. Couldn't put this one down!

Focuses to much on who bought who, could include more focus on the technology in addition to the business side of the acquisitions.

This is an informative book for folks who are in the construction equipment industry. It may also have some pointers for folks who are in the B2B distribution business. However, the writing style can be dry to some.