I built a berm!

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks

Sep 26, 1999

11,788

35

• Dec 1, 2008

• #1

Silly, you were thinking a motocross berm?

I rented a Bobcat for the long weekend and two large dump truck loads of clay. We're putting a new fence around the pool and I extended the area to be enclosed. The problem is that it is on a hillside and the water runs down that area. I had some dirt hauled in before to fill in that area but I didn't pack the hillside and some of it washed away. This time instead of a backhoe (that made me nervous runing on a hill), I got a Bobcat with tracks.

Here's the new hillside ready for me to finish the fence:

Silly me had too much dirt brought in...what to do with it?

It's only 30' but I built a landing at 12' or 15' for the kids. I also used the Bobact to finish clearing a trail on the other half of the woods. I spent weeks and weeks clearing the other half of the trail by digging and pulling out trees with a quad so I wouldn't have stumps in the trail. It took me all of two hours to cut the new half with the Bobcat.

Now I just need a bike....

 

VintageDirt

Baked Spud

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Jan 1, 2001

3,043

9

• Dec 1, 2008

• #2

I built a huge berm this morning. But it was stinking up the house so I had to flush it.

 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer

~SPONSOR~

Oct 19, 2006

8,129

2

Merrillville,Indiana

• Dec 1, 2008

• #3

Exhaust fan and roots,

 

S

SpDyKen

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Mar 27, 2005

1,237

1

• Dec 1, 2008

• #4

I built one once, too. Back in 2001. At my 'other' house, (where I was raised, and my parents still live.)

93 dump-truck loads of sugar clay, and 4 loads of rock later, and I had something that kept the Mississippi River out of the basement & garage this last spring and summer.

It was kind of fun. I did have a few other 'issues' I had to resolve, like sewer/septic, etc. (google "Orangeburg pipe.") I'd like to haul in another 20 loads, or so, but the main obstacle is the effort it takes to grow a good stand of grass again! (Especially when I'm not living there.)

It is occasionally part of the 'kids track,' which is only available to ride in the late-summer & fall, (low water, dry ground.)

 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer

~SPONSOR~

Oct 19, 2006

8,129

2

Merrillville,Indiana

• Dec 1, 2008

• #5

Orangeburg, nooooooooooooooooo! How inexpensive should one get with parts? I have a lady friend who keeps getting flooded. She has finally given up on putting materials up cheaply. I have offered a concrete and steel retainer wall. People, myself included, who live in a flood plain, should not be real sad when we get wiped out? Till it happens to you! How do you like the septic field in a flood plain? What a surprise to back wash into your house, everything you have been trying to get rid of for the last 20 years! Now add one of a flood plains favorite material, clay. But, it does make damn good jumps, and berms I suppose. And the orangeburg, I mean come on. When did it seem like a good idea to take a newspaper material coated with pitch, and throw it in the ground and call it plumbing. The guys were probably quite satisfied with doing a good job. Fast forward 15 years or so and would you believe a butterfly landing on it would make it fall apart? Almost as bad as cpvc tubing and fittings. And Mr. Gomer, I sure hope you got all the roots out where you extracted the trees. All that jump is missing is a rider to put a nice lip up at the top. Looks like an expensive fence job?

 

J

_JOE_

~SPONSOR~

May 10, 2007

4,697

3

• Dec 2, 2008

• #6

Can you guys actually get grass to grow on clay?

 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer

~SPONSOR~

Oct 19, 2006

8,129

2

Merrillville,Indiana

• Dec 2, 2008

• #7

Not very lively or thick. You walk over it a couple of times, it dies. Weeds do a lot better! I have a small pit bike table started in my yard, spoils from fixing a plumbing error in my yard!

 

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks

Sep 26, 1999

11,788

35

• Dec 2, 2008

• Thread starter
• #8

Everything here is either sand or clay...no real dirt to speak of. Centipede grass does ok on the sand. Once I finish the fence I'll probably throw some sod down.

 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer

~SPONSOR~

Oct 19, 2006

8,129

2

Merrillville,Indiana

• Dec 2, 2008

• #9

I seen a guy rip his yard out, actually a 20' X 20' area. He installed astro turf and stone, maintenance free, and no weeds!

 

Papakeith

COTT Champ Emeritus

Damn Yankees

Aug 31, 2000

6,695

51

RI

• Dec 2, 2008

• #10

See now, when you said berm my first thought was of a 15ft tall mound of dirt with some steel plate targets and a few silhouettes.

 

XRpredator

AssClown SuperPowers

Damn Yankees

Aug 2, 2000

13,504

19

• Dec 2, 2008

• #11

VintageDirt said:

I built a huge berm this morning. But it was stinking up the house so I had to flush it.

Click to expand...

you coulda at least got a picture.

 

J

_JOE_

~SPONSOR~

May 10, 2007

4,697

3

• Dec 2, 2008

• #12

High Lord Gomer said:

Everything here is either sand or clay...no real dirt to speak of. Centipede grass does ok on the sand. Once I finish the fence I'll probably throw some sod down.

Click to expand...

That's how the ground is near the lake here. Most people get top-soil trucked in for lawns, the rest just mow the weeds twice a week, lol. The land rises quickly over a 5-10 mile range as you head away from the lake. There's plent of top-soil within 15 minutes of the lake shore, you just gotta move it!

NOTHING beats clay for building jumps though. They're like stone after a couple years.

 

G

gnarlykaw

Sponsoring Member

May 20, 2001

986

0

• Dec 27, 2008

• #13

Thats no berm, it's a bump in the ground......

 

S

SVTMc-G

Member

Apr 1, 2006

368

0

• Dec 27, 2008

• #14

XRpredator said:

you coulda at least got a picture.

Click to expand...

HAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahahahaha :rotfl:

he called it a berm...must've been dry docked! :rotfl: