Got Pump Tracks or Jump Tracks?

[Kris B]

I'm just lookin to see how many we got out there. My track-tracks have been goin now for three years. Chest high berms to dive into, flowing rollers, and of course doubles. I live up in NW Mass, and spend as much time as I can digging tracks on the farm and workin on the Bmx Track in Bennington Vt. I have a family of racers so I have to keep the kids happy. On top of that I have Big machines, excavator, bulldozer, and a track dump so let me know if you need terraforming. I used to have a monster step down(15 to 20 feet down), but I had to bulldoze it to build my new house, it was in the way. As I was saying if you need to pump or jump till your wheels explode thats what I'm lookin to hear about. Kris B

[Jisch]

I have only ridden a pump track once, it was AWESOME! I only have an acre of land and I tried to make one in corner on the back of the lot, but there's just too many big rocks in the way. I really can't afford to bring in the fill to make it work (plus it would be all hand labor!).

I am going in a new direction now. I have a bunch of 4x4's from my kids old play set so I'm building a skinny play land. Still in the concept/planning phase now. I'll post pics when its done.

John (got any pics of yours?)

[Kris B]

Other than moving dirt, pump tracks are mostly built by hand. A shovel and a wheelbarrow are fine dirt movers too. With dirt on hand I can shape/build a mediun sized pump track in about one to one and a half days. Digging in is a little harder and you need good drainage, but either way you always have to pull rock unless you have clean clay/sand or silt/sand on hand. If you buy dirt make sure it is a clay/sand mix for good packing and drainage. I personally have heavy silt soils in my pump track area. Even with it being side hill I have had to put in drainage because silt creates an imperiable barrier when packed. I love skinnies and have over 100 acres of woods to build them in, but nothing is quit like railing berms. Kris B

[Jisch]

I suppose I should have said ledge, not rocks. Just too much to deal with. Every attempt at shoveling dirt is met with the "chink, chink" of hitting another rock.

[Kris B]

That is too bad. But if you are the constructive type you could always build a few wooden rollers and berms into your skinny play land to give it more flow. If you only have an acre of land you must live near urban riding areas which have plenty of trials stuff to play on. Kris B

[Kris B]

Come on guys. Pump tracks are there really none. Some one must have one. I may be putting one in for NEMBA at one of the major state parks in Western Mass. So Let me hear it who's got em, who wants em, and who's ridden them. I cannot be the only one with tracks. Peace KrisB

[vomitron]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR2jNIY0Uyw

[Mongoose]

There's been talk about putting one in at Wompatuck in Hingham. You may want to check that out.

[Yeti_Ken]

Midcoast Maine nemba was involved with building one at the Camden snowbowl last year. Search the Maine forum as I think there were a lot of pics and video posted.

[If_Rider]

Other than moving dirt, pump tracks are mostly built by hand. A shovel and a wheelbarrow are fine dirt movers too. With dirt on hand I can shape/build a mediun sized pump track in about one to one and a half days. Digging in is a little harder and you need good drainage, but either way you always have to pull rock unless you have clean clay/sand or silt/sand on hand. If you buy dirt make sure it is a clay/sand mix for good packing and drainage. I personally have heavy silt soils in my pump track area. Even with it being side hill I have had to put in drainage because silt creates an imperiable barrier when packed. I love skinnies and have over 100 acres of woods to build them in, but nothing is quit like railing berms. Kris B

Kris,

Do you have any pics to share? I'm curious what you do for drainage, can you elaborate a bit about that?

Thanks,

Mike

[Kris B]

I sadly am fairly computer illiterate, so no pictures at this time. Drainage comes in many form, ideal drainage is graded in so no water puddles on or runs heavily across the track. For my part I have made stupid mistakes in the past and after a hard day of digging have realized that I created perfect retaining berms that just needed water to fill them to be a pond. So in came my friend Kobelco 907C and dug out the back of the berm. I made a graded trench and put in a 6 in. perforated pipe wrapped in a geotextile sock. I reset the radius strings for radiusing the berm, and rebuilt the berm over my new drainage pipe. The pipe runs down hill to daylight out the back of the berm. Now it is never wet in that berm not even surface mud except after a heavy rain. Kris B