# Back Yard ladder obstacle ideas?



## spleeft (May 2, 2017)

I have a mostly flat back yard with a slight down slope. I'm looking for ideas to build a few ladder obstacles to practice drops, narrow bridge riding, maybe step-ups, etc. Ive googled wooden mountain bike features, and checked out the "image" searches. They are mostly big pro build projects, but did get a few ideas. 
Ive done a few small things, a ten foot long 2x10 laid over some logs. And built a 10' jump that just a flat "ladder" based on the back yard drop in that "Seths Bike Hacks" video. Also just piled up some logs to ride over, ( which I had to carry up into the yard because we have no trees of woods . No biggie , but All log feature are logs I have to go find / haul in truck / and haul into yard ). But I'm out growing that stuff and want to add on !
I have a few ideas for maybe a longer bridge ride that narrows then widens again to a drop off with maybe a cross section as a step off/ up in the middle. 
I'm looking for ideas/ pics of your'alls back yard ladder bridge/ drop off / step up type stuff. 
I have a few hundred to spend on wood, and I cant really do much digging up of the yard( with out a big hassle from the "boss"..cough cough ) 
Thanks for any help / ideas !


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## spleeft (May 2, 2017)

I tried adding "skills" to my image search...that yielded much more! Ok let the planning begin.


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## Timothy G. Parrish (Apr 13, 2014)

Does having truckloads of dirt dumped on your lawn and shaped in various features count as 'digging'? 

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk


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## irishpitbull (Sep 29, 2011)

I would loved to make some ladder drops in my yard (2 acres). Thanks for stoke off to home depot!

I want to make an adjustable one. Anyone have any ideas?


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Timothy G. Parrish said:


> Does having truckloads of dirt dumped on your lawn and shaped in various features count as 'digging'?
> 
> Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk


Building out of dirt is so much better than building out of wood IMO. 
Unless it's necessary, most trail builders around here stopped making ladder structures years ago. They're just too high-maintenance.


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## irishpitbull (Sep 29, 2011)

slapheadmofo said:


> Building out of dirt is so much better than building out of wood IMO.
> Unless it's necessary, most trail builders around here stopped making ladder structures years ago. They're just too high-maintenance.


I travel to Miami a ton for work and every trail there is pretty much coral rock gardens and wooden features. They do a pretty impressive job considering the lack of vert.


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## spleeft (May 2, 2017)

Thanks for all the replies everyone.
- building with dirt...... Believe me, Id love too !!! It would be so fun renting a machine and going crazy !!!! But it wont happen , wife not into it.. need / want to keep the mud factor down too. The wood features are best option for me, I love building stuff with wood also ! 
Pitbull, glad your amped. I plan on using 6x6 posts buried about 1 foot to a foot and a half with 2 -3' + sticking up to build on. ANd using lag bolts so disassembly and rearranging is possible. I just needed those "skills park" pics above to get some ideas. And try to maximize the" feature to intricacy/ cost ratio. 
I dont have a final plan, but getting close to breaking new ground...

On a side note, the few little things Ive been using have really helped me a lot. In the two + years Ive been riding, Ive been able to "clear" things at my riding spot that I thought were once totally undo-able by an OG like me. Cant wait to step it up !


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Wood can be cool, just tough to keep up with over the years in my area. Definitely easier to build specific stuff with, specially if you don't have experience shaping dirt. Make sure you make yourself a funbox or three.
:thumbsup:


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## spleeft (May 2, 2017)

slapheadmofo said:


> Wood can be cool, just tough to keep up with over the years in my area. Definitely easier to build specific stuff with, specially if you don't have experience shaping dirt. Make sure you make yourself a funbox or three.
> :thumbsup:


Portable and fun, I like it! Dimensions of those?


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## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

spleeft said:


> I plan on using 6x6 posts buried about 1 foot to a foot and a half with 2 -3' + sticking up to build on.


Better check your frost heave depth, even 18" seems a bit shallow.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

spleeft said:


> Portable and fun, I like it! Dimensions of those?


Varies, depending what you want.

There are quite a few sites out there on the 'net with plans. 
For MTB, you'd probably want to scale up a bit from the BMX/Skate stuff. 
Maybe go to 3' high with a 6 or 8' flat, stick a few in a row. Seem to be the items we ended up using the most as far as wood goes.

Free 2' Funbox Plans


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## spleeft (May 2, 2017)

Wha-La ! Turned out to be a bigger challenge than I thought , but thats a good thing! Thanks for all the help / replies.


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## eman555 (May 31, 2016)

Holy crap, that looks awesome!


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## wmw4 (May 8, 2017)

Man that looks sweet. How did you do the cut out for the roller part?


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## ACalderon (Jan 30, 2019)

spleeft! nice job! What did you use for decking? it seems like 2x4s but are they pressure treated or just regular? how are they holding over time? Thanks!


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## spleeft (May 2, 2017)

Geez, sorry for delayed reply !
On the roller part I just cut two 1/2 circles ( sort of, I shaped them to make that arch ) from a 2" x 12" and attached them on the long 2 x 6's .
The ladder parts are mostly 16" 2 x 4's some pressure treated some birch and some untreated pine. Some of the pine are going 2.5 years outside and still holding up. Some are 6" wide tongue/groove birch wood from the porch build we did a few years ago...also holding up great.
Ive modified to be longer, I fell off that drop too many times ha ha !! plus I wanted to practice longer ladder bridges and also be able to ride it both ways.
These pics are from last summer when I first got it built, I was able to get some wild flowers growing around the posts and used it all summer. The widened end is because on the original "step down" version, I kept bunny hopping to the side and crashing. 
Also , that hump has proved to be a real skill builder, its much harder to ride over that thing and onto the bridge in that you have to keep your speed just right and not let the front tire drift to the side as you continue on the rest. Its helped me a ton on the trails/ logs features on the mountain!
Ill update with weathering updates when the snow melts !


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## karthur (Apr 20, 2018)

That's really cool!


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## ACalderon (Jan 30, 2019)

Fantastic! Both of them, the feature and the view! Thanks for the reply


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## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Now I know why you didn’t want to dig up the yard or bring in dirt. The grass looks just as good as the ladder obstacle. Nice work!!!


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## Trailbuild (Feb 18, 2019)

Trail Building: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYstJGf2m-lBNPUwStYdU3pzzyp6ULVjF

This has loads of rad ideas for ladder features, skinnies, wooden features and what not. And theyre all pretty detailed videos so youll be able to build stuff just like it.


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## bikebum (Mar 30, 2004)

Trailbuild said:


> Trail Building: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYstJGf2m-lBNPUwStYdU3pzzyp6ULVjF
> 
> This has loads of rad ideas for ladder features, skinnies, wooden features and what not. And theyre all pretty detailed videos so youll be able to build stuff just like it.


Great find. I'm feeling the urge to build...


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