hkenvy91

hey ob1n ! what do the neighbors think of all your doing?, and are you guys runnin nitro out there! if i even run mine in the street for 5 min my neighbors get pissy

ob1n

My Feedback: (14)

Most of the time.....my neighbors are old and can't even walk in their own yard(not makin fun of them.....just telling the truth).....so, they think it's "different". The "other" type of neighbors I have are young kids......and, of course, you KNOW what they think!!!!! However, I do not run the nitros very often and if I do.....never before 10AM or after 8PM. With the rules....I haven't had any problems. With the electrics, of course, nobody even knows I'm there......unless they see it.....but they don't hear it.

Ob1n of RCU

lukeman

Do you ever invite people over to use your track, or is it like a personal thing. You know, like a treasure you wanna show off but not let anyone use it, anyway, looks good, wanna see some videos, and good luck for any future products

ob1n

My Feedback: (14)

I let other come over and drive my vehicles.....as I am the only one in this town that has "hobby-grade" vehicles. Of course, they are not driving 50mph+ speed demons.....but, rather, 15-20 mph durable stampedes/rustlers. Trust me.....they think it's a blast.....and I like the fact I am not fixing broken vehicles all the time.

But, it was made for personal enjoyment, of course. Mainly for me and my kids. I figure it's better for them to be where I know they are instead of trying drugs and/or doing stupid things with their friends who-knows-where.

Everyone is welcome.....so long as it doesn't become a demo derby.

Thanks for your comments.

Ob1n of RCU

ob1n

My Feedback: (14)

oh.....and, yeah........videos coming next

rcktpwrd

that is way cool!
great write up on the build process too! [8D]

Pecanpatch

Hey guys,
this thread inspired me to build my own track.....
its on some power line easement property next to mine.....
I don't own it, but have permission to do this.

It was a very natural area for doing this anyway.......(can you say "erosion")
I used 8 gallons of round up......
cut down 1 tree and dug up 3 shrubs.
I borrowed my neighbors tractor and box blade and flattened it as best I could.
Then used the loader to build some jumps.
I got one dump truck load of dirt donated from a friend and built a banked turn.

Used some leftover construction Grey PVC for lane markers....

The white turn cones are scrapped CFM56 jet engine nose spinners painted white.
My brother took an aerial photo that we used to design how the track would flow....

I hope you like it....... about 10 of us have a ball on this sucker

cobra26

Way to go! Lookin' real good. You and your friends should have a ball on that race track!

Nick2618

TO bad GA is still to far me to drive! Nice track!

calvino

I am (still in the working process) on mine, it is OK, instead of using PVC or that sweet pipe stuff, I am acutally using plain old dirt to create my lane markers, it works prety good, at least for our little mini trucks[8D]

Pecanpatch

Revo Verses Flipper


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxZ1v_PBtAQ

Had fun on this one

ob1n

My Feedback: (14)

Ok guys(or gals).......sorry it's been so long since I've put up a post. BUT......weather is changing, and I've accumulated a lot of stuff for the upgrades that will happen to the track. I'm changing careers.....so, I'll be around for(at least) one more year. If I can find work close by, I'll keep this house. Otherwise, I'll be moving. That will be the big deciding factor as to what I do and when I do it to this current track.

However, for the moment, I have accumulated the PVC pipe for a trackside, compressed air setup for the pit table. I've gathered some old lighting fixtures a local business was throwing away for the track lighting and I've accumulated some wood(they were gonna throw away) to make improvements/repairs. Currently, I am designing and gathering the supplies to finish the TWS(track wetting system) for the other half of the track that still has to be done by hand with a sprayer. Stick close....updates coming soon enough.

Laters

Ob1n of RCU

calvino

wow, this is one amazing track, inspiring me to redo the old one for our 18th scale trucks, er, I forgot what the lane width was again[sm=red_smile.gif]

ob1n

My Feedback: (14)

Well.......my track was built with the intention of 1/10th trucks/cars.....but, I've bought a couple of 1/18th vehicles.....and they actually work better. The track width I have varies from 6' to 8'. Hope this helps

Laters

Ob1n

calvino

thanks, ya, designin a track for me is DIFICULT, i swear, your track is AWESOME, did good in the detta review, eh, got any racin vids.......

offroadjunkie

ob1n,thank you sooooo much for all the deatil and pics you have shared in this track build...i had many questions before i found the link to here,but so far they've all been answered (and then some!).sorry i wasn't around closer to the buildup of it.just curious...after all that effort,please tell me you didn't hafta move!

ob1n

My Feedback: (14)

Thanks for all your kind comments. And, No, so far I haven't moved. However, I plan to post some pics here really soon to show how weather has 'worn' down some of the track. Mainly the it's the wood trim and borders that are starting to show some abuse.

I just recently tilled the track again because of weeds and vegetation growth. Also, my TWS(track wetting system) has a few sprinklers that are spraying weird. One of them is working perfectly. I've noticed that they are 2 different styles of sprayer heads in the yellow sprinklers I am using. One will spray from the very top of the head past the bleed screw. The other sprays out the sides through holes that are molded during the manufacturing process. The style that sprays out the top has been the one that is most reliable. I plan to find a few more like it and replace the faulty ones, which will be simple....just screw the head out and insert the new one.

I admit, I haven't been keeping this up to date as much as I'd like to......and, honestly, we haven't been racing on it lately. However, I will say that we used it a lot this spring! Seems that we've got a lot of vehicles that need to be fixed at the moment. Parts are on the way.....

I'll do my best to get some more work and updates done here soon.

Ob1n of RCU

offroadjunkie

glad you didn't hafta move after all that work.lookin forward to the updates.i'm gunna @ least really look at what i have to work w/,space-wise,sometime this weekend,and i may build us a jump or 2 elsewhere on the property (those 1 1/2 aheds are in the way there).

jkdv8

My Feedback: (1)

very nice work ob1n. very nice indeed. did you get your lighting situation straightened out. i was gonna suggest using some of those outdoor deck/sidewalk/trail lights. plus they would automatically come on at night. i have seen some cheap (budget wise) sets around and you could add more lights to them or differant types of lights depending on the application.

ob1n

My Feedback: (14)

Well.....yes and no....about the lighting situation. If I knew I was going to stay here indefinitely, I would go all-out and put in light poles(PVC pipe) with lighting fixtures I got for free from the hospital after they remodelled.

But, since I don't know if I am staying for sure.......my kids have broke a light which we've had in our living room. It stands(or did) about 5 feet tall and has five lights on it. Each light is on a flexible, metal arm......kind of like Doc Oc on Spiderman 2. Well, they broke it where the switch attaches to the pole. I've modified it with a metal rod and some hose clamps to make it well over 8' tall. And then all I have to do is point the lights where I want them. I really like that it is portable and can be stored upright in the garage when I'm done with it.

As for the 'walk-way' lights that you talk about......yes, my neighbor has some. They are LEDs, solar charged and portable. However, I can assure you that they won't last 3 races. My kids, neighborhood kids......and even myself, will be smashing and bashing those things out of the ground and mulching them into plastic credit cards after they've been through the shredder. It is true, however, they would really accent the track outline and really make it cool-looking. But, I sincerely doubt they will last long.....one by one, they would be removed because of punishment.

I need to get some pics of that light.....it looks really simple and primitive......but it really works well!

Laters

Ob1n of RCU

calvino

i can see your point with the lights turning into rubbish fast, why not make a screen mesh covering for it, that should help keep the light protected, yet it should also let light in for the solar charging of it, due to the high heat here i am considering night racing on our track, and may use little LED lights at every turn to make it easier for the drivers at night, that and lights on all 4 corners[8D], just currious how you kept your jumps.... packed down, H20 and a lawn roller????, i am using an old car tire (racing slick) with a plastic bag and my body weight, works prety good but is quite "crude" in a sense, hey, if it works do it, mmm videos of racing

ob1n

My Feedback: (14)

Interesting point with the mesh......but I still have my doubts. I've seen what stock Blackfoots/Stampedes do to PVC pipe, wood borders, etc.. I haven't even driven an 1/8th scale Nitro Truck on this track more than a few times......and if I did, I was the driver. Cause this track would be in much worse shape if I let the kids drive something like that with that kind of speed and weight.

As for the dirt being packed......I have a very nice roller(12' diameter steel pipe with bearings, hitch for an ATV and a place to add water/sand for weight), BUT.....I never use it! I just rotor till the track with my electric tiller and then do a heavy watering(1/2 hour). Then let it set. I should also mention that I am constantly adding leaves, grass clippings, etc. to the track dirt for mulch. Not much for smell but I'd definitely agree that it makes better dirt and holds moisture more effectively. As long as I don't tear it up too bad with spinning tires.....it holds up well. But, before we drive on it, we let the TWS(Track Wetting System) do it's job for about 2-5 minutes. That's all it takes....just some moisture on the top and the dust is reduced, at least, 90%! It tends to make the dirt 'stick' to the wheels/tires/chassis but I'd rather have that then fine dust everywhere and then having to breathe it as well. Besides, air compressor makes short work of the dirt after running them. I realize that I am lucky to have water readily available.....and that makes all the difference in the world! And another benefit of watering the track makes the vehicles MUCH more controllable and 'faster'. With a dry track, the kids(and occasionally myself) are all over the place with spinning tires! A little moisture let's you hook-up 10xs easier.

I just run a leaf-rake(one used to rake leaves in the fall) over the parts of the track I want really smooth like the straights and jump faces. This works great to filter out the sticks and larger rocks. I do this about every other month.....then follow with a slight watering. I usually let grass and weeds grow for about a month or 2 before I till it all down. Again, I am lucky to be next to my house and use my electric tiller by plugging into the house. Believe me, I hate do more work than I have to so I try to do all the hard work up-front to save time later. You know what I am talking about.......you come home from work and you want to run your vehicle for 15 minutes....but, you have a track that dry, dusty, sticks, weeds growing ups everywhere. But, since I've installed the TWS and do my bi-monthly maintenance, I just run the water for a couple minutes while I install a battery pack. By the time I get the track from my garage, it's ready! After all, if we aren't enjoying ourselves......we aren't going to do this hobby!

Hope this helps

Ob1n of RCU

offroadjunkie

man,i dunno if i'm gunna feel up to workin on a couple jumps over the weekend or not...had a lil accident @ the pool w/ my son today,he jumped in too close to me (he's 6,wears a bubble-but swims great-and jumping in the deep end is new to him),and his "bubble" forced him back up,well,forcefully,and he caught my chin really hard (think boxxing...uppercut).dang near bit thru my tongue...ugh.it bled for 15+ minutes,and prolly coulda used 2-3 stitches (but who wants those in his mouth?BTW,yes,while bleeding,i got away from the public pool's water =P),but since it was deeper than it was wide,i didn't go to the doc.i had to take a pain killer i get for my spinal injuries from '01 tho (current prescription).

the good news for everyone around here tho,is i can barely talk=P.i hope i feel well enuff to move some dirt tomorrow,but i already cancelled out of our weekly group (mtn biking) ride.

those are really good points on the lights,BTW-i'll need that when i get further along =)

Gex_61

Night racing is the best, and yes the heat makes it hard to race during the day for many reasons. If you guys are trying to find the best way to light up your tracks, go to Home Depot and buy these $5 lights, then thank me later. I have tried a few different ways for lighting, but this is by far the best, simplest, and cheapest. I have mine clipped onto a wooden pole. I have never run into them, but they probably hold up better than pvc pipe.

calvino

^^ we have those lights, they work awesome for racing at night (or track work at night to)