foam pit design- need help!

[sockman]

ok here go's:

my current design and tech project is to build anything i want so i have chosen to build a foam pit.

here are my questions:

1. has anyone on here made a foam pit?
2. where did you get the foam and how much did it cost?
3. can you post pics of tthe pit, and the materials you used.
4. lastly should i have a wooden ramp into it or a dirt ramp?

[technoboy]

Dude there so easy,
All you need is 4 long poles dig them into the ground in like a rectangle shape and then wrap some shade cloth around the outside of the poles...
easy...
wooden kicker would be better cause then you can pull it back and see who can do the biggest gap into the pit..
get the foam from clark rubber..

[demo9pro]

I just got some old mattresses and cut them up into decent sized blocks. Easy! Its also good to nail some ply sheets on the outside of the poles, then wrap the shade cloth, this will save someone from sticking a limb through the shade cloth and terring it! Remember not to make it too small or shallow, ive seen some nast accidents before.

[Davf]

As other people have said, a foam pit is a pretty easy thing to make, too easy imo. I reckon you are better off making say a kicker that you can vary the height of. eg have it hinged in the middle kicker, and have different holes on the end of the uprights allowing you to choose the height/steepness of the ramp.

[Venciferus]

Here you go, the kicker in the second picture is now in front of the new foam pit. (The second picture is the older one)

[sockman]

thanks for the replys guys but im doing it for a school assignment so it needs to be a really good quality one, i really like venciferus's one, can you post some rugh dimentions and costs?

thanks guys

[Venciferus]

I'll get the info soon.

[chris_mtb]

if you want foam go to the dump and find old car seats and rip the foam out of them

[sockman]

anyone else with any design/plan?

[LeonDanger]

I've jumped a foam pit more than a few times...They're only really good for learning flips. A good alternative for a jump to learn tricks on is a double with a really soft landing, like barely compacted. It is nowhere near as good as a foam pit for flips but better for leaning spins and other tricks...Just my 2 cents..Have fun.

[Hex515]

For a D&T project, use recycled material, they love it! (Old mattresses and off cuts of foam from various places, wash it of course).

If you're after a design which utilizes recycled stuff and is actually safe (none of these walls made out of corrigated iron or wood) drop me a PM and I will share the design I came up with. Another advantage of the design I did is that it can easily be taken apart and rebuilt.

[TIMOH]

I've jumped a foam pit more than a few times...They're only really good for learning flips. A good alternative for a jump to learn tricks on is a double with a really soft landing, like barely compacted. It is nowhere near as good as a foam pit for flips but better for leaning spins and other tricks...Just my 2 cents..Have fun.
Yeah, I'm sure his teacher would love a pile of dirt :p

[sockman]

For a D&T project, use recycled material, they love it! (Old mattresses and off cuts of foam from various places, wash it of course).

If you're after a design which utilizes recycled stuff and is actually safe (none of these walls made out of corrigated iron or wood) drop me a PM and I will share the design I came up with. Another advantage of the design I did is that it can easily be taken apart and rebuilt.


hey mate thanx for the suggestion, ill soot you a pm re the design



and leon danger, what timoh said;)

cheers, rob

[sawtell]

No ones told you im surprised!
Do i search, there has been threads on this... and everyone ends int he asker of the question finding out how much it cost for foam, and decideing not to build one..


They are to much effort for what they are..
-cost.
-waterprooffing
-injury
-size



but good luck any way!

[sockman]

im making a damn foam pit!!!!

i actually plan to put a dt assignment to use for once so my mind is set...


anyone with any advisable dimentions or even just a ramp plan... all the free ones on the net are skate/bmx oriented so the transition is too fast

[trevallynbikerdude]

get foam offcuts from upulstory places and furniture places. I used to work at one and we used to have soo many offcuts! - they only got thown out, so i'm sure it's worth try to scab some...

richo

[disappearin]

my pit is 4metres wide and 6metres long and about 2metres deep, would be nice if it was a bit wider if you had enough foam. i just built a steel frame and wrapped chain mesh(like chicken wire but stronger) around it. layed a heap of old moto tyres on bottom, put a big tarp down then filled it with foam. got a big tarp to cover it when not using it. ive got a 1.75m and a 2metre ramp going into it, think radius of ramps are 3.0m(1.75) and 3.75m(2m)

[saundo]

This all sounds great but im sure theres one thing on sockamans mind still how much is it all going to cost becasue i was thinking about doing something similar and cost is always a killer

[pieno]

A mate just made the foam pit for the air dome at whistler.

It's 28 feet long, 20 feet wide and 6 foot deep. Theres also $26,000 worth of foam in it. Very expensive but good fun though.

[Truthman]

Something like this would be nice:
http://www.thesidewaysguide.com/Images/Skate/Skateparks/States/PA/Woodward/lot8foampit-LG.jpg

They use some big ones for MX:
http://www.transworldmotocross.com/mx/gohuge/0,20859,702916_630808,00.html
http://www.transworldmotocross.com/mx/features/article/0,13190,630808,00.html

[bowzaa]

How do you plan to keep the foam dry?
If you have side walls then the foam has to be above the top of the walls otherwise a tarp will sag down and slowly leak into the foam once the rain puddles...
It's hard to work out how to do it because any cover needs to be cheap, easily moved and able to keep a large area dry etc.
Something to think about.

[MADEOFMILO]

Here you go, the kicker in the second picture is now in front of the new foam pit. (The second picture is the older one)


hey man that is one sick foam pit......

[Da Extreme Free Rider]

How do you plan to keep the foam dry?
If you have side walls then the foam has to be above the top of the walls otherwise a tarp will sag down and slowly leak into the foam once the rain puddles...
It's hard to work out how to do it because any cover needs to be cheap, easily moved and able to keep a large area dry etc.
Something to think about.
All you need is a tarp with a pole in the middle of the foam pit about 1.5 meters higher than the side walls to hold it up with a small hole where the pole pokes through.
:D

[manglicas]

This all sounds great but im sure theres one thing on sockamans mind still how much is it all going to cost becasue i was thinking about doing something similar and cost is always a killer

Thats why you raid the off cut bins at places like clark rubber at night they dont like to tell you that at the end of the week that they have a fare bit of foam and rubber left over they just want to make money

[GC_DJer]

A mate just made the foam pit for the air dome at whistler.

It's 28 feet long, 20 feet wide and 6 foot deep. Theres also $26,000 worth of foam in it. Very expensive but good fun though.


the foam your refering to in your post is the american standard fireproof foam that is needed to be used in amerian gymnastic foam pics and the likes, this foam cost $4 Us for a 8 cm cubed block. off cuts are the way to go, i am currently in the process of building my own foam pit and i have gathered a few old high jump mats from school that they were going to take to the tip, theres alot of foam in one of those, ask your teacher if their are plans of throwing them out from your school, he might be able to help out, and dnt teachers usally have many contacts in industrial businesses ask if he knows anyone in the foam industry and try and get some offcuts their

just my little bit

[knoxy]

A friend of mine made a foam pit. it was made entirely of offcuts which he got for free. the main downside was that it took 2 years to gather all the foam.

[83AST]

A friend of mine made a foam pit. it was made entirely of offcuts which he got for free. the main downside was that it took 2 years to gather all the foam.

I sue he has finished his progect seeming that this fourm is over 1 year old:rolleyes:

[cj_biker]

$26000 for foam. thats heavy as. doesn't clark rubber sell that stuff cheap?

[derelikt]

$26000 for foam. thats heavy as. doesn't clark rubber sell that stuff cheap?

GRAVEDIGGGG!!!!!!!

[Rickystp0]

How about some one builds a resi. Theres an idea.

[FatAss2nd]

Go around to a foam pits company bin and im sure there off cuts of foam are chucked away and they just try to make money off selling there off cuts.