Indoor Crawler Course

[electraglidebiker]

I'll not lie, I am very green to crawling. I want to get better and to do that takes practice. I have a sizable area in my home to make a practice course. However I know from being a former short course racer that you can practice until your blue in the face but if you can't change up your course your basically beating a dead horse.

So I am here looking for ideas on building a sizable modular crawler course. I have seen several examples on here (http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/general-crawlers/89677-indoor-rock-course.html or http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/general-crawlers/109506-artificial-rock-course.html). I don't care for the Link-N-Rocks so they are out.

Question is, if you were going to build a course at home, and you wanted it to be modular, what do you (general population) think is the best method to go about it?

 

[SilmarilS]

Just dump a bunch of rocks in the basement, and change the position each month/week

 

[electraglidebiker]

Just dump a bunch of rocks in the basement, and change the position each month/week

Well, I wouldn't have a problem doing that, I drive a dump truck for a living so I don't have a problem getting rocks of any kind. However who really wants to move around 20 ton of rocks by hand? I know I sure don't.

 

[RcLee]

Carve big junks of stryro foam, make paper mache rocks, 2 part foam like spray foam but comes in bulk a boat fiberglass company should carry it.

Paper mache covered in plaster of paris or other plasters. Can use styro foam as base or balled up paper & even cushion foam.

Carved styro foam-staple screen it it & cover w plaster like stuco. Can get heavy though.

2 part foam can make moab like rocks is expensive & messy but if want to go big.

 

[Doc Harley]

Have someone else lay your course out, they might not lay it out in the way you would because of you knowing what you do or don't like.

 

[OTHGbronco82]

Well, I wouldn't have a problem doing that, I drive a dump truck for a living so I don't have a problem getting rocks of any kind. However who really wants to move around 20 ton of rocks by hand? I know I sure don't.

Shoot, I'd help. I need a work out anyways."thumbsup"

 

[electraglidebiker]

RcLee, that sounds about the same as what I was thinking with the exception being that I am going to mount it all on milk crates so I can not only change the height, but the length and direction of the course often. Now all I have to do is find about 150 milk crates. I am leaning towards using dental plaster, plaster cloth, trash and milk crates to build a fully modular crawling course.

Doc Harley, that is a great idea and I layed out a course for "Wicked Monkey" yesterday at his place and saw what a great idea that is to have someone lay it out for you. Thus the modular way seems like the way to go.

As for you OTHGbronco82, I don't see a problem incorperating real rocks of different kinds into a modular unit, so as soon as I get it up and going (need to find about 150 milk crates) you are more than welcome to come help place real rocks. Don't forget to bring your crawler.

 

[chevotafun]

i good way to go about it and the way i built mine is, i used pallets as filler and then stacked rocks on top.
yes moving them around is a pain but if us want a great practice pile iMO is the best way.

Also i'm sure u will not be the only one useing it so you should be able to get some help when needed.

 

[electraglidebiker]

Well chevotafun, my other real issue with using the real thing is that some day I am not going to be crawling any longer, probably when I am 95 years old and arthritis has taken my fingers from me, but still, then I don't want to have to rely on my feeble wife to have to move all the rock from the basement to the side yard. I looked at this website, but $135 per 2' square seems a little pricey to me. Light weight custom made rock RC Crawler Tracks

 

[Statik]

 

[electraglidebiker]

:lmao: Statik, I think i'll pass on that. But thanks for thinking of me. :lmao:

 

[Valreesio]

I have been using boxes of all shapes and sizes (including the box my scx10 came in) to crawl over. Rocks are easy for tires to grip, put some other real world obstacles in that have no grip to vary it up a little bit and give it some challenge. Smooth plastic also makes for interesting challenges.

 

[crawl-o-matic]

Get a bunch of chicken wire, cut it into good sized pieces then wad them up. Next, get some concrete, mix it up THICK and coat the wads of chicken wire. There you go, fairly inexpensive, light, and easy to move around.:mrgreen:

 

[electraglidebiker]

Valreesio, I think thats what I am going to do, but I am going to mount them on something height and directionally adjustable and then your plaster bangages to go over it all to give it a firm yet rock like surface. I might even throw a little sand or limestone dust onto them while they are still wet to get a good rock texture without the weight.

crawl-o-matic, that sounds like a good idea as well, maybe chicken wire with plaster over it to save weight though.

 

[pajey]

Personally I used whatever I had, rocks, besar blocks, bricks, wood etc and mix the up in a course. I have an old steel framed table with ply over it as a base the at each end stacked besar blocks like a staircase then piled rocks on top and around, also have a pile of bricks under the table and a mixtures of timber on top of it. It's lot's of fun. Mines outdoors so rain sucks but it doesn't rain often here. But I love incorporating anything like telephone pole logs and tin ect.

 

[Wicked Monkey]

Doc Harley, that is a great idea and I layed out a course for "Wicked Monkey" yesterday at his place and saw what a great idea that is to have someone lay it out for you.

Yeah, it's great to have someone else lay it out. The course he laid out was pretty challenging. My pile is rock and busted concrete, all moved into the basement by my 6yr old and myself.

I've never driven on an artificial course, so it'll be interesting to see how the rigs handle it. It'll be cool to have his artificial course and then my not-so-artificial course for testing. Between us, we should be able to come up with some cool setups.

 

[AX10wannabe]

here is my friends indoor course.. its real rocks and there is about 15,000lbs there but it was well worth it.the only sections that have changed is where the number 2 is and the tunnel by 11 and 12 was filled in.

 

[electraglidebiker]

That's a pretty sweet course for sure AX10wannabe. But I can tell you, unless I have to, I will not be hauling rock into my house. I deal with rock on a daily basis. Besides, I have WM's basement rocks. I want something very challenging, and easily changed. But I do like and would love to crawl your budies course. "thumbsup"

 

[redjeeper]

i just have rocks in my back yard and did come carving out on my hill and made hill climbs and a rock garden. I have everything on my rock garden. There are bricks, old short course tires, all different types of rocks, I even wet it from time to time to add a challenge. Ill post pics later.

 

[electraglidebiker]

Yes, please do redjeeper. I'm always looking to see what others are doing.