Stone, dirt, and tears

[OldSchoolRC]

Well, i was absolutely inspired by ripper777777's gorgeous backyard oasis, and while i know i'm not going to get close to that, I thought i've give it a try...I'll post updates here as i go.

[OldSchoolRC]

well, you always have to have a before pic....here'a a corner of my yard that was begging for some attention. There's a small dirt pile that i jump all my trucks off of, and it's in what used to be a garden - or was when the previous owners lived here. the only thing left is a tangle of tomato plants, i have been mowing down the rest....it certainly needed something! God bless my wife for letting me tear it all apart.

[OldSchoolRC]

Well, i am planning on making a playground for several vehicles here, and i want some scale trails, rock climbing areas, and i'd like to surround or interweave some sort of track for my buggies.

Today i worked on my "earthquake torn" road for my scale trucks. I want something that looks heaved and buckled, but isn't too much for my 1/10 electrics to navigate. But isn't too easy either, i plan on having pleny of plain old paths and trails also.

first, i needed rocks. lots of them. i picked up a bunch at one of our job sites, i had to hunt around for just the right sizes, took forever. I found the remains of a ripped out sidewalk which is perfect for a broken road look. I also hoofed out a TON of plain rocks (man they are heavy), and also...well, not sure what to do with them but i brought home some small chunks of concrete. i snagged them cause they were nice and lite and didn't weight down the truck too bad. might use them for filler, not sure.

good bye tomato plants!!!

[OldSchoolRC]

I want this road to be close to grade, if it gets some standing water in it, it's not a bad thing at all. I undercut the road to bring it to grade. Lots of shovelling......between lugging all those rocks and digging all this out by hand, getting very tired.

[OldSchoolRC]

well, think i got the road i was looking for. certainly looks heaved!!! maybe a little too much, but after a good rain or two, it'll settle down a bit. lots of the dirt will wash down a bit too, i think it'll look pretty good when done!

[OldSchoolRC]

a little sweeping up and Diablo Road is open!!! Of course i had to test it out a little bit. Note that it's getting dark, this thing took me all day! (the trips to the jobsite took about 3 hours each though)

Since it's for scale trucks, thought i'd test it out with my open diff, bone stock F-350. it made it all the way down and back a few times, but it was not easy, i really had to pick my path......Awesome! off to a nice start! Hope to get some more done next weekend.

[WrenchHead]

Hey Old School;
Lots of really cool cars and a very cool course to drive them on. Can life get much better than that? Nice work on the layout. Keep us posted with the new stuff you add. Wish my other half would let me do something like that. Oh well it could be worse.Later,Wrench.

[OldSchoolRC]

some more pics from the weekend...didn't realize how much stones and dirt this would take... :)

started working on the overpass. built it up with soome fill and put some rocks around it for a rock garden of sorts for a challenge. turns out it's not much of a challenge, i'll probalby re-do this a little higher with some more fill and another few rock trips. starting to take some shape though!

[OldSchoolRC]

the King trying out the new digs....

[OldSchoolRC]

Got some more done this weekend...

After driving around a bit on it on what i had already done, i realized i had to expand the track somewhat to accomdate 1/10 scale.

So last weekend i tore down the ramps i had made previously and rebuilt them much larger and in a different location. With the blessing of the wife, i expanded the entire track out pretty significantly.

i decided to put a buggy/rally track around the outside, and added far more areas for crawling, climbing, and jumping. no power tools with the exception of my 4-wheeler (if you hold the front brake and stand on the gas, it makes a pretty good tiller!!) which i used to "excavate" as much of the grass as possible. Then i took a good old fashioned shovel and dug out all the remaining grass. took about 8 hours, 1 sore back, 3 blisters, and a cramped right arm and i got the entire track dug out.

i used the solid grass clumps as fill to build up the jumps, paths, ramps and what not. i have more fill to put on top to clean it up and pack it down as much as possible, and a ton of rocks to put around yet...getting there!

one thing i need is RAIN - we haven't had any since i started the track, and i need it to pack down some of the loose dirt so i can see where it's going to settle at. if worse comes to worse, i'll use the hose over the course of this week to get it to settle. I know it's going to settle with when it sees some water, just not how much.

so far, total cost (not counting time spent) = $0!

plenty more to do tomorrow - nascar at 3 and eagles at night, so i have all morning to get some work done - provided my back agrees. stay tuned!

[johnboy72]

My wife is very supportive but if she saw the first stages of your project, she'd try to convince me to turn it into a path or walkway. Looks like you have a great wife to let you tear up a beautiful yard. It makes enjoying our hobby so much better when they slack up on our leashes.:)

[OldSchoolRC]

she is great, she knew i was an RC nut when we married. However i haven't been able to convince her we need a 1/10 paved daytona oval in there. We have just enough room....and i know some people. :)

[OldSchoolRC]

more progress....this is the lower loop, its relly taking shape. not sure yet what i am going to do with spot in the center. There's a nice ramp on the right and a path up to the bridge. Both will be covered in dirt.

[OldSchoolRC]

here is the upper loop. Diablo road cuts across it and the lower left is a garden area. not sure what i am doing to the right yet though.

[OldSchoolRC]

A closer view of the upper loop. the grey dirt in the upper left turns into instant black mud, just add water. i dug down a mudpit to keep it all in one area.

[OldSchoolRC]

the curve that joins the loops. i added a muddy ravine here, and the grassy ridge on the right will be all rocks while the left will be a dirt path to the crossover. the bridge is just a mock-up, I plan on cleaning it up later.

[OldSchoolRC]

From the other side...one of those dirt jumps is actually just dirt, i have to spread it around yet.

getting there though! should have some more time this weekend.

[Evil3]

Very nice setup. :D :cool:

[johnboy72]

here is the upper loop. Diablo road cuts across it and the lower left is a garden area. not sure what i am doing to the right yet though.

How about a RC Helicopter pad? Oh, don't want to give ya no ideas there. :D

[OldSchoolRC]

hmm...a helicopter pad....interesting. :)

[maxxdout]

wow man nice job!!! too bad i didnt know where ya live ;)

[OldSchoolRC]

nice, i like the signature....!! stop by anytime, i'm always up for a bash

Raced a buggy around a bit on it and the lanes need to be widened. those rocks are very unforgiving! building up a 1/10 rally car also out of my old TL01B, have parts on order.

should get some more work done this weekend, getting down to the details at this point.

[RiZZa]

Awesome track/area !! While I wish for something that size, the stone paths have inspired me and my next purchase.

[Losi Motor Man]

Your Stuff is Nice and you are doing a great job . In intergrating a track nd a rock crawling spot. I mean if you have the room why the hell not? . Hope you have friends that come share your track. I would . I might even have to fire up that built in BBQ over there in the back . While i am at it shit you have room for me to move in ? lol jK:D . I ONLY WANNA MOVE IN FOR THE SUMMER. :rolleyes:

[OldSchoolRC]

thanks guys, hope to finish it up this weekend! Well, phase 1 anyway.

[OldSchoolRC]

Awesome track/area !! While I wish for something that size, the stone paths have inspired me and my next purchase.

what is it?

[OldSchoolRC]

done for now! got all the dirt smoothed out, jumps made and all the rocks in the right places. this is good for the winter, i'll finish up that bridge and widen it out in the spring. but for now, it's all drive time!

[OldSchoolRC]

F-350 on the rocks...with a quick stop on lookout point

[OldSchoolRC]

TLTClod on the rocks and in the dirt...

[pedeboi364]

we need footage!!!!!!!

[OldSchoolRC]

i need a video camera!!!! :)

[Mattdg67]

That looks awsome, nice job on making it.

[OldSchoolRC]

thanks, round 2 coming in the spring! i just had my mini LST out there over the weekend and it needs more lane width.....and a little more vertical challenge. but the ground is all but frozen, so it'll be a spring project.

[jonelzoe]

that is an awsome track do you have any plans foor the 1/8 buggy track i need some ideas for a track that i want to make in my old backyard:D

[OldSchoolRC]

unfortunately, i do not have enough room for a 1/8 scale track - mine is just big enough to have fun with 1/10, and maybe even a little too small for that. Perfect for 1/18 though. i do have some expansion plans in the works though...just need the ground to thaw out first. :)

[jonelzoe]

how long did it take you to make that track in total so far :confused:

it an awsome track:D

[OldSchoolRC]

well, all told i spent about solid 4 weekends of pretty heavy work. Going to get the rocks, loading up my truck, and then dragging them all around was pretty tough. I dug out all the grass by hand, and that was no picnic either - not hard, just time consuming and hard on the back (for an old man like me anyway) i actually spent more time plannning than actually doing which saved me some time. i am getting around to planning stage 2 here shortly, so by the time the ground thaws and is nice and "spring soft" I'll be ready to go.

[tearemupanfixem]

Very nice-could you give me your number so I can have my wife call your wife? Just kidding. It is an awsome track though, looks like it is worth the time and work!

[OldSchoolRC]

sure, but they'd probably spend most of the time talking about purses. :)

[snoowkid25]

Nice track you got going there. I wish my mom and dad would let me do stuff like that. :( My dog rips up plenty of dirt while running to make it perfect for my DT. Back on topic. Looks pretty sick! I wonder how a Micro T/Micro B/Micro DT would run on the dirt..

[Gt-bone]

All I can say is wow! Looking at those pics has got the wheels turning in my head. GRRRRRREAT (as Tony the Tiger would say) Job . If only you lived in Michigan I wouldnt have to tear up my own yard. Oh well I guess its just less time mowing and more time playing right.

[OldSchoolRC]

it is less time mowing - and with a push mower no less! but more time maintaining...

[TNT66613]

WOW! man thats pretty cool that would be perfect for me all I would need is a few more jumps and and its instant fun lol

[87mstng]

I need a bigger back yard.....lol.


Looks good.

[bonesracer21]

The track came out very nice.great work.:eek: :D :rolleyes:

[TCRacer101]

Good job! Worth flying down there for, but to much $.

[OldSchoolRC]

thanks guys! too bad all the snow melted, that was kinda fun with the snow on it.

[TCRacer101]

Bet it was. Here in MI we're getting 6-10 inches of snow tonight, RIGHT WHEN I FINISHED MY ELECTRIC TRUGGY CONVERSION!!:mad: ...............before it got dark I was able to run it for 2 minutes before the locknut popped off. NOTE TO SELF: Use a dab of threadlocker on the locknut.

[OldSchoolRC]

pretty cool - what kind of gearing is in that thing?

[TCRacer101]

It's got 24 pinion/72 spur 48 pitch. Based on a TC3. I took it out at 8:15 last night went full throttle, hit a rut, did 5 endo's, then hit the ground. Broke a wheel, but like most R/C junkies, in CA glued it back together. Let's see if I can get more pics. Gonna get action pics, especially of it JUMPING! I can get it 5 feet in the air, not even at full throttle! I'm going to make a front spoiler, based on D4 pictures. It also has a threaded wing mount that you will see in coming pictures.

[TCRacer101]

I purposely broke the rear wheels with a hammer to CA glue a fresh foam tire in the rim. Not only is it glued in securely, the tire is also compressed, making the tire even more securely attached to the wheel. In doing this, the wheel is much sturdier and it also has a hex to make the TT3s acceleration and handling as superior as a 1/8 scale truggy. Got it up to full throttle, which is at least 40 mph, with a 27-t stock motor!

[Taylor]

Hey old school, ya gonna keep adding on to the track or is it "Officially" finished? :confused:

[tormentor3211]

We need UPDATES!!!!!!!!1

[tormentor3211]

We .... need UPDATES!!!!!!!!

[OldSchoolRC]

i lost my battle with mother nature to keep it weed free :( i did build it over the old garden and i have tomato plants coming up.

i ripped out most of the corner and right now it's a pile of stones and weeds. you can see it in the monster mo video. BUT it will be back, just not sure how the layout will be yet.

[Taylor]

Ahh man i wanted to see the entire thing, and for mother nature, why do you have to always pick on rc tracks? :D

[tormentor3211]

i lost my battle with mother nature to keep it weed free :( i did build it over the old garden and i have tomato plants coming up.

i ripped out most of the corner and right now it's a pile of stones and weeds. you can see it in the monster mo video. BUT it will be back, just not sure how the layout will be yet.

Couldn't just have sprayed it with that weed whacker stuff?

[ofnapitman25]

nice track dude

[OldSchoolRC]

i soaked it with weed killer, but just could not keep up. i live in an area with extremely good soil, so stuff just grows like crazy in the back yard. Ripper7777 had the right idea by using concrete to form it out, the dirt is very hard to maintain.

In any case, i have a plan B in mind, just need the time to get out and do it.

[tormentor3211]

OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I knew that just kidding

[tormentor3211]

what's plan b?

[Mouse4666]

yea four wheelers JEEPS are the best

[OldSchoolRC]

Plan B - Start over, lol. Ripped out all the rocks 2 weeks ago and re-graded the entire track. planning to make some ramps/bridges out of some scrap wood and use the rocks to create some more realistic terrain. No more track itself, more of a terrain park.

[tormentor3211]

sweet new layout will be intresting

[OldSchoolRC]

it's a lot of work though, lol - i moved probably 2500 lbs of rocks by hand, then used a rake and shovel to grade it all out - no power tools here. my back is threatening to go on strike. i removed the rocks about 2 weeks ago, and re-seeded and the grass has already grown completely over - you can barely tell it was there. Very wet summer we have been having, no wonder i had so much trouble keeping up with things.

it'll be a while till i get to plan B, though i hope to have it somewhat in place this fall.

[tormentor3211]

you should get one of those covers for the winter or when it rains so nothing can touch the track

[j88h]

your backyard crawling course is sweet.

[master_of_faster]

You have inspired me and many other crawlers to destroy our backyards. I love how it is set up like actual trails for the scalers

[focus07]

Interesting...How come i just noticed it though? Cant wait to see what your new layout is going to look like.

[OldSchoolRC]

glad it could inspire more people to tear up their backyards! :) right now mine's a flat area with weeds....got a daughter on the way and have been working on the house lately - but the track will return!!!

[spackman]

cool man keep us posted with the happenings on

[LSXEric]

Well oldschool you have inspired me to do a lil track. Not many rocks for the king, but I'll try to get the camera from school. I just got a lil grass out. I'm 14 and that grass removel with a shovel is tough!

[bugz2002]

to remove grass the eazy ways buy some roundup that stuff kills everything.

[OldSchoolRC]

Well oldschool you have inspired me to do a lil track. Not many rocks for the king, but I'll try to get the camera from school. I just got a lil grass out. I'm 14 and that grass removel with a shovel is tough!


it is quite some work, i used a turf shovel to make a grid pattern where i wanted to remove the gr**** and then you can slide it undeneath the grass itself and it cuts the roots. The grass then comes up like a block of sod. i then used the blocks of sod as the base for the hills and what not. worked well, just took some time!

good luck on the track!!

[LSXEric]

Hey I'm bringing back an old thread, but what type of dirt is the grey to instant black mud? I got dirt and add water, but not much mud just a water pit.

[OldSchoolRC]

type? heck if i know. I got it off one of my old (now defunct) construction company's job sites. Each site has different types of rocks and dirt. I got slate rocks and clay dirt from one of our more northern sites, and hard granite and black dirt from a different site. Don't really know what makes dark per se other than the mineral content, and no idea what that is. I have a bunch left, more than welcome to it! lol.

[camiguel]

That is an awsome little track and I have to agree with you ripper777's track is quite amazing. He inspired me to build my own little sad excuse for a track/ rock crawler course. These things are hard to maintain as the rain and lazzyness lets them quickly erode and then the weeds start attacking.:p

[LSXEric]

Sorry Old school, I just don't have the willingness to drive 1500 miles.:D

[OldSchoolRC]

well, sort of. here's the after pics of what the track looks like now - 1 last dirt pile to remove and re-seed, and it's gone.

The old one was built tight over the old garden, and i had a terrible time keeping up with the weeds, random tomato plants and what not. So, i moved it to a little spot behind the garage that does not get a lot of light and not much grows back there anyway. Much smaller, but going to make up for it with some elevation changes. Plus, it's not super visable, so the wife is happy.

Just getting started, some pics of the mess.... :)

[Maxx man]

always want to make the misses happy:p stinks you had to take it apart but that spot looks good as any:D

[LSXEric]

Yea it down graded but still looks good.

[OldSchoolRC]

trial runs with a few scalers on the new track. Still lots of work to do, but wanted to try out some lines and see how they handled it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEL-fBtSEz0

[Maxx man]

turning out pretty nice!!!!!!! love the ford!

[BAJA 1000]

Pretty cool man Love the JEEP! :D

[OldSchoolRC]

i built the jeep in about 30 minutes with leftover WK parts from project Helo. :) works pretty good!!

[Sonic0620]

I loved your video and I love those Tamiyas. I definetly need to get one of those Pajeros. Maybe I'll trick the wife into buying one for my girls so I can build it and play with it.

[OldSchoolRC]

the Jero is an awesome little truck - goes nearly anywhere the WK did. lock the rear diff, do something with the font bumper and you'd be suprised where it can go.

[slash-freak]

sweet whatever you made it looks like you could race and climb at the same time