My basement course

[backyardtrack]

I've been building a crawler course in my basement. It's built in a 14'x30' area and has a 24' suspension bridge. Here's some pics.

[Farmer]

Very sweet, I'd love to crawl on that. Looks really fun, great job

Later,
Farmer

[binaryterror]

Wow you even make killer INDOOR courses along with backyard tracks?

Good job dude!

[rockcreepin']

Thats a sweet course wish I had one in my basement for these long winter months in michigan. Is that chain saw blade you used for one of the bridges. If so how did you get it to stay did you weld every link?

[EvoKin]

Your own personal test track, Lucky!

I need to sell my cars so I can have one in my garage.

[scootertrash]

That's just awesome as hell' - for a indoor course brotha'. I dig duh' shit outta' that 4 Sur' - and just maybe GAME'...for getting a chance to crawling apond it to that's if you invite some of us MiRCa' gang to crawl apond it with ya'. Awesome' job you have done on thatto by the way - And look's to me like you still got aLil' bit more floor space to go with still,...?!! That's if you'd want to add more onto it later on' - ya' know's. ~ol'Scoot'er~

[gyrene]

That is an awesome looking track. I was going to build one in my basement this winter, but my step-son and his wife moved in and took over the basement with all of their "stuff". Now I have something to think about till they move out.

[backyardtrack]

Originally Posted by rockcreepin'

Is that chain saw blade you used for one of the bridges. If so how did you get it to stay did you weld every link?

Yes that is chain saw chain and every link was welded to hold that shape. I was going to weld it with a mig welder but then you would probably see more weld than chain so my buddy did it up with his tig welder. He was able to weld the links using only the torch and no rod so the chain still looks like it's chain saw chain. We were hoping to not use any extra bracing but despite being welded the chain still needed a little extra support. I decided to have the crawlers drive on the guide side of the chain as opposed to the cutters/rakes so we didn't rip up our tires too much.

[no2hud]

Do you have any build pic's of how you made your course? Were thinking of screwing down boxes to plywood the covering with mesh and spray foaming over it then applying mortar on top of the foam. Share how you did yours if you can.

thanks and awesome job!

[backyardtrack]

Originally Posted by no2hud

Do you have any build pic's of how you made your course? Were thinking of screwing down boxes to plywood the covering with mesh and spray foaming over it then applying mortar on top of the foam. Share how you did yours if you can.

thanks and awesome job!

I started out building a few tables made of 2x4's and plywood. Then I used 2x2's to build a skeleton off of the tables. I didn't use much too much plywood beacuse I didn't want the course to look square or have too many straight edges, I wanted natural looking terrain with a lot of compound curves. After the frame is built I put chicken wire over the entire course. You can add extra framing or chunks of foam under the chicken wire to make what ever shape you want. I used mason's mix quickcrete because it just has fine sand and portland cement, no larger aggregate so it sticks to vertical surfaces easily and doesn't give too much traction. For the first coat I mixed up a runny mixture of the quickcrete, soaked pieces of old sheets in the mix, and then put them on the chicken wire. After that was dry I mixed up a thicker batch of quickcrete and put on a second coat with my hands. After it set for a few minutes it took a large paint brush, dipped it in water, and brushed the quickcrete. You can brush it just enough to get your finger marks out or you can make it as smooth as a freshly poured garage floor. Thats pretty much it. I've probably only got 12-14 80 pound bags of quickcrete in the whole project and believe it or not most of the course it strong enough for me to walk on. I did build it so I could reach the crawlers on 90% of the course with out having to walk on it but it's nice to know I can if I have to.

[BigIrish]

Thats looks great. Good job dude I want one!

[scootertrash]

Thank's for sharing all that hand's on info with us all brotha'. Yup'...That's how I went about building my own indoor course last winter and early spring,...then I got so sick of my ol'lady b_t_hing about me spend way to much time down there all the time all by myself and that it was now spring and early summer and so nice outside'___Shit' man for it was allway's so nice and cool' down in the basement -( And no fawk'ing bug's either for they was so bad last year ya' could'nt even be outside )- to enjoy any of that busting yo' ball's at hardwork of hauling all the stuff back up outta' there again all by hand too' - that's 4 Sur'. So I gave in to her after awhile and said f--k it then'--> just to shut her up <---and just up and move it all back up the damm' stair's and back outside into my lil' front yard to have an outdoor course -> That had to be the stupid'est thing - I ever done too'...by God. For I had the right fawk'ing idea all along ya' know's and I busted my A$$ at doing it all myself as well' I had to hand carry every damm' rock and etc' down into that fawk'ing basement to begin with and i had one hell of a mess to clear out just to get the whole thing cleared out first of all too'. And I've been wishing to start a whole new course all over again and I seen alot of awesome looking indoor course's that have been bilt' by alot of other brotha's on RCC' this past year - and I have gotten alot of great new idea's and way's of really making a even better one this time around,...for I got like 35'x32'x8' of floor space to work with all over again,...after I get alot of old balloon tire bike's and some extra' very old bike part's outta' the way. Plus,...I've been healing back up all this winter from having major knee surgery done and I'm just now able to stand up for afew hour's on that cement floor and I've been getting around somewhat better lately then I was. But,...it still can give me trouble when ever it want's too'.

[jeepfreek]

Great course! Now I have 2 things for ya.... First off since i live here in Lake Orion when can I come out and play! Secondly for a cool alternative to the quikrete try using chicken wire, masking tape, fiberglass mat and resin and real sand! Take the chicken wire and make the shape of what you want to crawl, mountain or moe hill it don't matter. Then you cover it with cheapo masking tape, it doesn't have to look pretty just keep the resin from dripping through. Next lay the fiberglass mat over that and again nothing has to be pretty, the uglier the more challenging! Mix your resin with the right amount of hardener and you'll have probably have about 10 to 20 mins to finish the last step so get ready! Lastly using a flour sifter, (preferably not the wifes, that was a bad idea!) scoop up some sand and sift it over the wet resin! You can do this step as many times as you feel necessary but once should be sufficient. When the resin dries the sand becomes embedded in it and the project takes on the texture and look of sandpaper! The wire frame you made may or may not be able to be reused if you planed it out right but the stuff is cheap so build as many as you need but remember that with out the masking tape the matting will assume the shape of the wire down to the last square and drip way to much for a strong form. I built a small mountain like this about 2 years ago and have crawled it many of times and have yet to break it or the sand to wear off and I have left outside in the rain a few times! The other way to build one is all the same steps but instead of fiberglass mat you would substitute long strand fiberglass body filler, Its more expensive and you skip the sand portion but the end result is a stronger project, but it will be whatever color the body filler ends up after it dries. I like the more natural look and crawl-ability of the sand, It looks just like a real rock!

Keep up the good work!

[arcticjeff]

Sweet course. Looks like some killer lines.

[backyardtrack]

I added a couple of bridges and some more spot lights to the course today. I can't get a pic that shows how cool the lighting looks in person, it's too bright with the flash and too dark without it, oh well. Here's a few more pics.

[scootertrash]

Looking good bro'

[jeepfreek]

You still haven't invited me over to inspect its worthyness! Lol

[scootertrash]

Welp'...I reckon' you'd be to busy with crawling all apond your handi'-work to even bother to post something up once in awhile' to let all us other brotha's know just how "Sweet it really is". Honestly brotha'...Ya' need to keep us all updated on this brotha' - LoL' - Hope your just enjoying yourself and your new indoor course. --(( May I ask if you've got any plan's or hope's of hosting a gtg' at your place anytime soon bro'...?! For I know a few of us other MiRCa' crawler's would surely like to check this out and to meet up and crawl down with you too' ))-- ~ol'Scoot'er~

[backyardtrack]

Originally Posted by scootertrash

Welp'...I reckon' you'd be to busy with crawling all apond your handi'-work to even bother to post something up once in awhile' to let all us other brotha's know just how "Sweet it really is". Honestly brotha'...Ya' need to keep us all updated on this brotha' - LoL' - Hope your just enjoying yourself and your new indoor course. --(( May I ask if you've got any plan's or hope's of hosting a gtg' at your place anytime soon bro'...?! For I know a few of us other MiRCa' crawler's would surely like to check this out and to meet up and crawl down with you too' ))-- ~ol'Scoot'er~

I'm still working on the course. I put in some flag stone this week but I need more get the look I want. I'm going to be adding several types of natural rock and probably some logs too. I'll post more pics as I continue to work on the course. I'll have to talk the wife into having people over for a gtg but right now she's a little uneasy about the idea. See our home was broken into a little over 2 years ago which caused her to have some trust issues with strangers. She had been getting more comfortable/trusting since then but 2 weeks ago my truck was broken into. It was sitting right in my driveway, just feet away from where I was sleeping, and it was sitting under 3 security lights that are bright as hell! It's not like I live in a bad area, heck it's a rural area with farms everywhere! Now I have no reason to think anyone from this site would ever do anything like that after visiting my home, but try telling a nervous wife that! I have to respect her feelings and I can't really complain too much, after all she didn't say anything when I told her my plans for the basement or when I made half my yard a giant r/c track! She thinks this stuff is neat, she's even got her own crawler and stadium truck so she can run with me.

[scootertrash]

That's aswesome that she do'es take a liking to R/c' my wife do'es too'. Heck she even drove me herself to a MiRCa' comp once'...LoL' that was a scene 4 Sur' - as to everyone seeing us both pulling in together. And you can bet' She'll be sporting a few rig's of her own this year as well. And to think she did let me go on ahead and have my own R/c' room all to myself' and also allowed me to do up our basement into a crawling place all last winter and early spring' - but then she kept a B-T-Hing about how I was spending way-too much time down there for hour's on end all by myself - and that it was summer outside & Etc'. So after time I said F__k it' and hauled it all back up the damm' stair's an into our Lil' front yard ---> For that's was surely ONE of the dumbest thing's I ever done to By God. For I had the right idea' <--- all along bro' and it was allway's so neat and kool' down there on them hot summer day's and the fawk'ing bug's were so' bad last year that ya' could'nt even be outside and I never did get to enjoy the course I made outta' every rock that I had hand carried down into my basement first of all. I'll be building another course very soon and I'm going to try and copy afew idea' from your if ya' don't mind. I'll let ya' know how I'm coming along with mine as well. Thank's for keep us all posted brotha'. And I don't blame the wife for ya' can't just go trusting just anyone now aday's ,...ya know's and it's tuff to deal with as well.