Watering my track

[Rootar]

Well since my rain dances havent been working lately i gotta figure out a way to water my track efficiently and effectivly. This will require 2 people though 1 to drive tractor and one to spray water.

My plan thus far is to get a good size water tank and place it on a 10 foot trailer that we already have i figure i dont want to exceed 3,000 pounds so i water tank size will be between 200-400 gallons i think this will easily be enough water to water my track (its about the size of a big Arenacross track) everything is hard pack so the water is just to control dust. Ill pull the trailer around with a 30hp tractor for easy manuvering around the track


on the back of the trailer ill put our Honda 2" semi trash pump, now the specs call for alittle over 40 psi... but i dont think that will be enough to shoot water as far as id like so i planned on reducing down the outlet side of the pump to gain pressure, im looking to be able to shoot water atleast 30 feet (50 would be great) from a high discharge fire hose type nozzle which will be attached to a short hose from the pump say 10 feet max the suction line will also be short to be efficient as possible.


so basically i can pull down the the pond and hook the suction line to the pump (which will be attached to and old dock hanging out in deep water so it doesnt suck up mud and crap) and then just point the nozzle into the tank to fill it up in about 3 minutes then drive over the the track and spray the track down with 3 minutes worth of water.

so we are talking 10 mintues tops from start to finish to water the track where is needs water and not over or under water any places. This should work right?

please tell me what you think?

im trying to do this as cheap as possible and with the above plan all ill need is a dedicated suction and output hose with nozzle and a water tank or container of some sort.

[250x_kyle]

a 400 gallon tank would be about 3340lbs. a gallon of water weighs in at slightly over 8 lbs. in order for you to get the spraying distance your looking for you would probably need a 4inch pump and reduce it down to 1.5 to 2 inch. other then that its all a good idea. most dirt track race tracks use a 4 inch pump to soak the edge of the infeild.

[Rootar]

i know how much water weighs, if i could get a 500 gallon tank tank id take it and only fill it up as much as the trailer can hold. i wouldnt over do it. think this trailer has a 3500 pound axle (its an old wleding trailer and is built heavy)

this pump does 7,000 gph and 42 psi 2 inch inlet and 2 inch outlet =. with the 2 inch outlet it shoots water about 10-15 feet when the hose is waist high. i planed on reducing the hose down to a 1" should give me the spray im looking for right? 25-30 feet? i can drive right next to all my jumps now so as long as i get 25 feet of spray with good volume id be really happy. besides the nozzle is gonna be held by who ever is back there on the trailer like a big water hose bascially shooting it where the water is needed.

[MX MaNiAc 06]

Damn man you're getting so into your track you might as well open it up to the public in the spring haha

[250x_kyle]

Originally posted by Rootar
i know how much water weighs, if i could get a 500 gallon tank tank id take it and only fill it up as much as the trailer can hold. i wouldnt over do it. think this trailer has a 3500 pound axle (its an old wleding trailer and is built heavy)

this pump does 7,000 gph and 42 psi 2 inch inlet and 2 inch outlet =. with the 2 inch outlet it shoots water about 10-15 feet when the hose is waist high. i planed on reducing the hose down to a 1" should give me the spray im looking for right? 25-30 feet? i can drive right next to all my jumps now so as long as i get 25 feet of spray with good volume id be really happy. besides the nozzle is gonna be held by who ever is back there on the trailer like a big water hose bascially shooting it where the water is needed.

if you use reduce it down to 1 inch and with the right nossel you should most deffinatley meet your 25 to 30 feet range.

[Rootar]

Originally posted by MX MaNiAc 06
Damn man you're getting so into your track you might as well open it up to the public in the spring haha

haha its just soo dusty you cant ride with more than 2 people out there, just trying to keep dust down by watering itll keep you, your gear, your bike, your airfilter and everything sooo much cleaner, not to mention the added traction and how much better the pictures turn out when my GF is out there shooting pics. Besides dust sucks!

[fastredrider44]

At our local motocross track, they start watering friday morning and water all day, then might address a couple of dusty spots thoughout the day sat. They usually only have to water once in between motos. One thing to keep in mind is after it rains, how fast it gets dusty again when riding on it. So what I'm saying is plan on spending some time and a lot of water.;)

[Rootar]

yea im hoping since my track is small and hard packed it wont be much trouble. and actaully i try to get people to come ride on days that it rains :o its takes a small flood to get the track too wet to ride but it doesnt take much rain to kill the dust and make it nice for a few hours

[TWISTED]

Hard pack is not really a benefit, as the water tends to run off rather than soak in....... I went through this with my track.... Track upkeep is ALOT more work than most people think........

[mxduner]

good ideas so far. also try to water kinda heavy the night before riding day, when you expect extra riding time or riders.

we took a big square tank and put it in the back of a pickup. With the gate closed, opened up the drain valve and let fly. worked great but it was on a flat track.

[protraxrptr17]

Anything less than a 400 gallon tank will be a waste of time. Your pump will work fine. Take a piece of 2" steel pipe ande flatten the end with a hammer until the opening is about 1/4". It will spray about 80 feet easily. You do not need (or want) a 4" pump. And yes, hardpack is much harder to water than loose dirt. Sorry I forgot to get back with you when you texted me. I've had a rough last two weeks. Do you know anybody who farms cotton? One of those tanks that cotton picker spindle grease comes in would make a good water tank.

[protraxrptr17]

Here's my water truck when I get another track. 6000 gallons.

[Rootar]

well i got me a water tank zeb they are the ones in the metal cages 275 - 330 gallons im getting two of them. so that should be plenty of water for my track. its only about 275x100 of area that my track is in that ill be watering. ill be testing it out on monday when everyone comes to ride. I'm going home right now ive got 10 hours to play on the tractor why the parents are gone :o ill see what all i can get done.

[Rootar]

have you sent zachery over there to sweet talk his papaw into letting you build him a track :rolleyes: i thought that was the plan!

[kbnorth99]

I don't know how your track is spread out but have you already thought about using a stationary irrigation system? A local state park has a pretty nice practice track that sits next to a small river. They have a diesel engine that pumps to a series of large sprinkler heads. They are positioned well and cover the entire track. They run the system for about 15 minutes every 2 hours or so and it keeps the track nice.

If you already have a good water source and a pump, would it be easier to run 2" piping as a main line and then branch off to 1" or even 3/4" to feed each head?

It would mean that you wouldn't need any people to help and you can spread smaller amounts of water much more frequently which will give you a much better surface.

Just a thought in case it's useful.

[Rootar]

water source is too far away and track changes way too much, we used to have a well that supplied water in that direction but the dock rusted away and it needs a new pump so itd be a project.


I got the pump both hoses setup and a makeshift nozzle ;) thanks zeb. I was wrong about the pump though i read the specs on it tonight and it said it would pump 11,900gph :eek2: not 7,000 as i had thought sooo instead of reducing it ill be using a 2inch outlet hose that 8 feet long with a nozzle on the end ( i have a 2inch nozzle and a reduced down 1 1/4 inch nozzle if i dont get the distance i need out of the 2inch) ill give them both a try and see what works for me.


ill get some pics of the setup after i pick up the tanks tomorrow and get the water going.

[Rootar]

uploading pics today and found some pics of me using this contraption....

id say it had some pretty good range. it would empty a 300 gallon tank in about 2 mins flat. i need to plumb two tanks together so ill have 600 gallons. the 1st day it was a pain to fill it and stuff but i have that worked out to where i can fill it 5 times faster with out the hassles we were having

[Rootar]

hmm i wonder if i have a better picture somewher because that one may be right when the pump fired up. because i stood right there and watered the fmx landing and its not even close to being in the picture. Id say i was getting 60 feet of range if not more.


in the cooler weather this is gonna work great but if the track is like it was that day its like fighting a losing battle.

[madsmokey12]

what did u use to build the track? i wanna build one i got like 20 acres of cleared out Flat land. i got a Cat 416c Backhoe i can play with:devil:

[250x_kyle]

Originally posted by madsmokey12
what did u use to build the track? i wanna build one i got like 20 acres of cleared out Flat land. i got a Cat 416c Backhoe i can play with:devil:

get an add on craigslist for fill. scrapeing up with a backhoe will take forever.

looks good rootar im not real supprised it did shoot that far now that i think about it we can get a good 10 foot stream with a 4 inch hose using the pump we do.

[dirtrider77]

or get a bobcat haha...it takes fooooooooreeeeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr but we, well my dad built my track, and it took about 500 times longer than a dozer, but everything is so smooth and precise....

and for watering, i just gave up

i rip and work up the track a day or two before i ride and then rip again before riding

then spread lots of cow manure on it.....it really helps haha

[madsmokey12]

yea well right now i got the backhoe to work with im getting a dozer and loader some time soon. i just hope i can make it threw the trees might have to rip some down lol

[250x_kyle]

mulch tilled in in spots that are normally dry can help.

[bbender85]

Originally posted by 250x_kyle
mulch tilled in in spots that are normally dry can help.

thats what i was gonna say. i think i heard redbud does this.

i've always wondered how tilling in grass clippings would work... tons of lawncare companies around me that just pile it up.

[300ex_#387]

Originally posted by bbender85
thats what i was gonna say. i think i heard redbud does this.

i've always wondered how tilling in grass clippings would work... tons of lawncare companies around me that just pile it up.

A lot of tracks will do this. Redbud is just one of them.