estimated cost on foam pit??

[SteveV]

im lookin into building a foam pit in my back yard. i've already figured out the perfect layout for it but am unsure about costs. Im not much of builder/carpenter so i prob will need someone to help me build it. If anyone on these boards has built a foam pit or has any idea how much they cost (foam, wood, labour) could u tell me some prices. Also what would be apropiate dimensions for the pit.

Thanks a lot

[Rosscofat]

build a box. without a lid. fill it. just use 100 old matts

[kalisto]

I couldn't see the actual pit costing that much. Pretty basic to build a box...

Where would one aquire foam? Check out the yellow pages or something, and give them a call. Or phone somewhere like Club Aviva and ask where they buy their foam.

When you find out, post it up, if it's cheap, I'm sure many of us would be into building one also.

[Chunk]

a foam pit isnt just a build and walk away thing. You have to up-keep the thing. If it were inside it would be a different story, but since its outside, youre gonna have to kind a way to keep the elements out. And throwing a tarp over it wont work cuz water will just puddle and make it really hard to pull off.

[GeoffG]

Two words: Lake jump:D.

[AnTi-TrAiL_nAzI]

Keefer and I worked it out the other week, for a 4 ft deep, 6 x 12 pit your looking at 3-4000 in foam.. that is proper foam from a gymnastics supplier

[bokinator]

don't they hav elike a trampoline underneath the foam pits?

[SteveV]

Keefer and I worked it out the other week, for a 4 ft deep, 6 x 12 pit your looking at 3-4000 in foam.. that is proper foam from a gymnastics supplier


wow thats a lot...any idea where i could get cheaper foam

[Uncle Duke]

foam shops always have scrap foam.. check the yellow pages and call all the shops collect all their scraps..send me a chq for $500 as I just saved you 3-3.5 k.

lol.

[JSinclair]

if you make it 4 feet deep you'll break your neck.

Best idea is to have a floating Net (Ie having netting attached to teh sides with bunjy cord that sits above the ground below the foam pit) then fill it with Foam.

This does a couple of things...first you don't have to have as much foam because there is give in the netting under the foam, second it keeps the foam off the ground.

Building outdoors is dodgy, the rain and moisture gets soaked up by the foam no matter what you have covering it...then you end up with mildue and stuff growing in it...

If you leave it unattended, expect to get a rash when you jump in it...I think Jordie and Klassen have this problem.

[big ben]

not only will it get wet and moldy, but if you get cheap, bad quality foam it can dry out in certain conditions, and there are chances of it catching fire (this has happened to pro FMX riders before). it seems pretty risky, but I wonder how pastrana upkeeps his so well?

[Chunk]

I wonder how pastrana upkeeps his so well?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[big ben]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
obviously, but I wonder what he uses to cover it, maintain it, etc etc

[SteveV]

foam shops always have scrap foam.. check the yellow pages and call all the shops collect all their scraps..send me a chq for $500 as I just saved you 3-3.5 k.

lol.


thanks..thats a good idea

[hard_core_biker]

jordie's is in that same net thing..but no bungy cords....hes also got a cool drop thing going there...:)

[Jason.w]

also, good foam is about $1-2 per cube. if you need 3000 cubes, well you do the math. Travis Pastrana's pit has 50,000 cubes of foam....

[cameron]

also, good foam is about $1-2 per cube. if you need 3000 cubes, well you do the math. Travis Pastrana's pit has 50,000 cubes of foam....

he's also pulling double backflips on a 500lb dirtbike.

i think his needs to be a little bit more beefier then a pit for a mountain bike.

[Kye]

This is Travis Pastrana's pit, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6698310152185556269&q=motorcycle

[AnTi-TrAiL_nAzI]

he's also pulling double backflips on a 500lb dirtbike.

i think his needs to be a little bit more beefier then a pit for a mountain bike.
on a 500 lb bike? try 220 lbs tops..

[bunny]

This is Travis Pastrana's pit, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6698310152185556269&q=motorcycle

ouch. i bet that hurt a bit.

[Air Supplier]

This is Travis Pastrana's pit, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6698310152185556269&q=motorcycle

Oh man, that must have hurt. The funny thing is my brother mentioned that it would suck if he overshot the jump just before we saw him overshoot it. :scream:

[big ben]

haha I have that movie. classic line: "you can go twice as fast!"

[SteveV]

also, good foam is about $1-2 per cube. if you need 3000 cubes, well you do the math. Travis Pastrana's pit has 50,000 cubes of foam....

i don;t need top of the line foam...... ill just search around for old foam....really hope that doesn't cost as much

[Lady Gravity]

This is Travis Pastrana's pit, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6698310152185556269&q=motorcycle

holy crap :| harsh

[cameron]

on a 500 lb bike? try 220 lbs tops..

ok.

[Uncle Duke]

thanks..thats a good idea


werd.

one of my clients has a foam shop and his bin is always full of the stuff and there is usually a sign that says free..

I donut know if its good foam or what, but compared to $1/cube its gots to be worth a few calls.

[Kevin26]

haha I have that movie. classic line: "you can go twice as fast!"
haha, holy shit :|

[Coop]

not only will it get wet and moldy, but if you get cheap, bad quality foam it can dry out in certain conditions, and there are chances of it catching fire (this has happened to pro FMX riders before). it seems pretty risky, but I wonder how pastrana upkeeps his so well?

the reason that pit caught fire is that the foam was soaked in motorbike gas, and the hot exhaust or something else from the engine lit it on fire.

pastrana upkeeps his so well because he lives in frickin california where the ambient humidity is about fifty times less than everywhere in BC...if it rains an inch one day there its only going to take a couple days of bone dry weather to have it tindery again.

[big ben]

the reason that pit caught fire is that the foam was soaked in motorbike gas, and the hot exhaust or something else from the engine lit it on fire.

pastrana upkeeps his so well because he lives in frickin california where the ambient humidity is about fifty times less than everywhere in BC...if it rains an inch one day there its only going to take a couple days of bone dry weather to have it tindery again.
pastrana lives in maryland, it's pretty humid there usually

[frmstreetrider]

that clip was nasty
that would suck sooo much

[Quinner]

He double-flips into that pit in crusty demons 3, and then at the end pastrana double-flips to dirt !!

And as for the foam-pit, Use pressure-treated wood for the outside, espesially the bottom - and then have the foam suspended. As for collecting foam, upholstery shops usually have left over foam in a bin thats up for grabs. Id say make it 5 or 6 deep and about 10 x 15. What the heck im building this with u steve lol. I can get wood for a really good deal

[mtbsrule]

hey my dad has a barn that probly 25 feet long and 15 feet wide, usally got about 8 feet of sawdust in there, soft sawdust, im going to make a wooden kicker to boot into there ill update you guys with pictures when I get them, should be fun!

[huckit59]

forbuynsell- cover all holes in you body that you do no want full of wood and film it instead of pics i want to see the huge cloud of sawdust
on second thought i guess with enough it gets pretty dense but film it anyways

[mtbsrule]

will do

at least on not gonna be paying big money for building a foam pit..
I need to spend 50 bucks on a wooden kicker then im set.

[atomikryda]

forbuynsell- cover all holes in you body that you do no want full of wood and film it instead of pics i want to see the huge cloud of sawdust
on second thought i guess with enough it gets pretty dense but film it anyways


that sawdust idea sounds awfully itchy...

[Gidget@nsmb.com]

While were at Woodward West this past weekend (damn I love being able to say that..haha) we got to help them refill the foam pit. The bottom was covered in huge pieces of foam close fitted together, then that was covered and 'squashed down' by a trampoline tarp, then the rest of the pit was filled with about 5' of the square cube foam.

Oh..one cool thing they had was a rope suspended from the ceiling you could use after each jump to haul yourself out - it made a HUGE difference because getting yourself and the bike out after each jump tired you out really fast.

You could probably call them and get details on how they constructed their pits.

[knowles]

Fill it with shaving cream.....soft cushy landing and your skin will be as smooth as your new tricks.

[SteveV]

Fill it with shaving cream.....soft cushy landing and your skin will be as smooth as your new tricks.


and ill probably drown and get shaving cream in places i don't want it

[Mitch1616]

well i remeber reading it some were but a BMXer payed 5 cents for 10,000 SQ ft of gymnastic foam off ebay, and 5 cents isnt a miss print. cost him 200 buxz to ship it, the foam was refects, like it was too soft or too hard or something but he got a deal. so look on ebay?

[Bridges!!!]

Just use Jello, it will only take you an hour to build, and if you injure yourself, you can have a snack while waiting for the ambulance.

[.243racer]

use gravel for all-weather capabilities!

[Bridges!!!]

and landmines.

[Stokes]

Foam is really expensive, For the indoor we are building a pro one, setting me back almost 15k.

Serious cash.

[huckit59]

Foam is really expensive, For the indoor we are building a pro one, setting me back almost 15k.

Serious cash.

any idea on opening date/month/year?

[motorp]

Foam is really expensive, For the indoor we are building a pro one, setting me back almost 15k.

Serious cash.

I agree. we are building the Air Dome here at whistler and a 14' x 26' foam pit will be over 20 grand. I'm sure it could be done cheaper if you weren't too fussy.

[tFly]

not only will it get wet and moldy, but if you get cheap, bad quality foam it can dry out in certain conditions, and there are chances of it catching fire (this has happened to pro FMX riders before). it seems pretty risky, but I wonder how pastrana upkeeps his so well?

Bicycles don't have burning hot engines/mufflers.. ;)

[DHJUNKIE]

foam pits are the devil.. just ask my broken hand one time and my severly sprained ankle another time.. never been so hurt from actual riding as a stupid pit.. it bends ur body is horrible ways.. not worth it IMO.