Track building and maintenance
 

I figured since I am learning through trial and error on building obstacles/maintenance, so many guys here know much more than me, and I want to hear from you guys what you are doing to keep things dialed.

here are my first few questions:

how to keep the track from blowing out and cracking like a lake-bottom effect....is it a lack of water? I think we need an aerator to put small holes in track, the surface is rock-hard and I dont thing the water is soaking in so it holds moisture.

When I am building a double with a 5ft. approach, how far apart for the peaks of the two jumps is average? I want to be able to downside the second jump nice and clean.

When I do a moguls section.....how far should the spaceing be? just assymetrical with a couple fast lines through it?how tall should they be for 1/10 buggies and SCT's?

when I am rolling a jump out with a sod roller, or even trying to hand tamp it, why am I peeling up the top layer with the tool? Is it too wet obviously? After I build the jump and its not packed, but semi-formed, should we roll it dry first? THen wet pack?

Thanks! I hope this thread takes off and maybe gets stickied! This could be very useful info for many of us affiliated with brand new tracks that are experiencing learning curves in building, I am just volunteering my time to the LHS's new track so it can be better....thanks for any insight!

I figured since I am learning through trial and error on building obstacles/maintenance, so many guys here know much more than me, and I want to hear from you guys what you are doing to keep things dialed.

here are my first few questions:

how to keep the track from blowing out and cracking like a lake-bottom effect....is it a lack of water? I think we need an aerator to put small holes in track, the surface is rock-hard and I dont thing the water is soaking in so it holds moisture.Yes, more water will keep the track surface together, depending on the surface tho, too much can create rough spots or holes in low spots.

When I am building a double with a 5ft. approach, how far apart for the peaks of the two jumps is average? I want to be able to downside the second jump nice and clean.Alot depends on traction level,and 1/10 or 1/8 vehicles and the height and angle of the take off jump. More times then not people build doubles too small or short in length. 5-10 foot gap would be a pretty standard sized double

When I do a moguls section.....how far should the spaceing be? just assymetrical with a couple fast lines through it?how tall should they be for 1/10 buggies and SCT's?Most of the time Moguls/whoop sections dont mesh well with 1/10 vehicles. For SCT's its not too bad as long as they arent too steep. 6-10 Inches tall, with about a half to a full car length apart from each other will provide for a good time!

when I am rolling a jump out with a sod roller, or even trying to hand tamp it, why am I peeling up the top layer with the tool? Is it too wet obviously? After I build the jump and its not packed, but semi-formed, should we roll it dry first? THen wet pack?Yes, too wet will cause the top layer to stick to whatever your packing it with. A light water is all you need.

Thanks! I hope this thread takes off and maybe gets stickied! This could be very useful info for many of us affiliated with brand new tracks that are experiencing learning curves in building. Just take your time, it might take a bit to figure out what works best for your situation but when you do it makes for a great track!

The cracking of the surface can also be caused by getting the dirt to wet and letting it dry to quickly. Try covering the areas and letting them sit over night. The cracking is from the dirt actually shrinking for the shape you formed it in.

When hand tamping wet dirt you need to let it sit so the water soaks in. The deeper the water has soaked in the more you will be able to tamp the surface. Also get an old piece of carpet lay it over the jump then hand tamp it. You will be able to tamp when the dirt is wetter and get a harder surface. Old carpet is a must for really getting well tamped jumps.

thanks guys...I appreciate it!

just dont build a mogul/rumble strip like Smac had with the wood. Lol

hahahaha! I LOVE Smac's layouts, he is an amazing track builder and race director, dude is a dirt doctor:lol:.....it's funny, after the tracks I have been to race week in and week out I never paid attention to things like what I need to know now...LMAO!

I will say the surface was awesome.... but that rumble section ate us up!

Our club bought a wacker packer used from a local rental house. We paid $600 and it is worth its weight in gold. It is the type that looks kind of like a lawnmower. We shape the dirt, water, cover the jump or straight with a regular blue tarp, and pack a way. Works awesome!

cool.....thanks for the insight guys, it helps......Im on my way to the track in a few to finish up the double section.....I'll make sure NOT to get it too wet this time before I tamp it the first few times.

I'm also working on setting up a track but in my yard.
Do most tracks cover the jumps to keep them from washing down or do real tracks redesign the layout often enough that it doesn't matter? or maybe the harder surface prevents this?

well, the jump we started yesterday was still too wet to roll/tamp, so I put a big sheet of plastic over it and rolled it and it came out sweet.....I then added a off camber jump about 5ft(peak to peak) away from it to make a nice double, it came out better than the first one as I didnt pull any out since it was covered in plastic, it also seems much more packed than the first since it wasnt so soaked, the first one still feels soft....Im learning and very happy with the outcome of my first jump building...haha!

more tips please!

Post up some pics!

I am just a nOOb here but I think a track building and maintenance sub forum would be cool! It gets my vote!

-Joe