10/8/1871- the great Chicago fire. Approximately 250 people were killed in the fire; 98,500 people were left homeless; 17,450 buildings were destroyed along with the original Emancipation Proclamation.
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Lawn sprinklers save your grass, Fire sprinklers save your a$$
You need a sod cutter (you can rent them for like $50 a day, and you could finish everything in 1 day) Plus no breaking your back
A sod cutter will cut all the way to the roots of the grass and weeds so stuff doesn't grow back right away. My neibor rented a sod cutter and cut out two big spots in his yard in a matter of minutes. Looks easy to use too. (push just like a mower)
I think the track is a good idea although I have a feeling you will wish it is a lot bigger once your done. Most outdoor tracks are like 100x200 ft. .......50x20 ft will leave you wishing for more.
Oh and for packing it down drive a 4-wheeler around it many, many times. (If you have one)
Otherwise have the kids ride their bikes around it many, many, many, many times. If you use the sod cutter it should be pretty hard packed already.
A sod cutter cuts under the grass roots and rolls the sod up as it cuts. You push it like a mower. Yes Menards should be a good place to check it out (or home depot may be better)
Oh and take my advice, a sod cutter will work wonders in what your trying to acomplish. You do not want to try and do this by hand and shovel.
I'm going to call Home Depot and Menards tomorrow, this would be great. The only shoveling I'd have to do would be for (what I call) whoop-d-whoops (the small hills in a row). Not sure if I'll have enough dirt for a big jump, the track is probably too small anyway.
Home depot rents them and its called a tiller or roto tiller. You can also rent a roller that u fill with water once u get it home and smooth the track. Also with the space that u have would be more suited to stadium trucks cause they have a tight turning radius.
RCDad, That sounds like a great plan. I agree with Tex though, 50x20 will seem small once you get it cut out. It may be enough for you, the kids, and wife to have a little fun with the Stampedes, but might be too small for anything else. If you can, I would suggest to get some small wooden stakes, and "plot" out your track idea in the grass. Place the stakes, and run a rope around it. Then you can "Test drive" the setup before you dig. You may find that it is all you need for a little fun, or you may decide to try to go a little bigger.
I've seen people do it when they are putting in a pool. Plot out the area, and look at it for a couple days, and see if you are sure about the location, before you dig, and it's too late....
That is a good idea. Oh my bad Tripp sod cutter does sound like it might be better for this application...only benifit to tilling then would be that it would free up some dirt for jumps, berms ect.
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