# Building a foam pit in my backyard... (need help)



## urbanfreerider (Aug 13, 2007)

Hey guys I have been thinking about this for a long time. At first I was just going to build some ramps to play around on (since my back yard is not dirt, but more of like a sportcourt thing with a lawn and a pool, no dirt for jumps) But I can just go to the local skate park for some of that, instead why not build a foam pit? The nearest foam pit is two hours drive away that i have only gone to when I am in the area, but but a foam put would be sick to be able to do 24/7 any time I feel like doing a back flip.

I mapped out my back yard, The ramp would sit in the middle of sport court and I could construct a wooden box filled with foam cubes. I could then open both gates on my side yard and start from the street to get enough speed and come in through the side yard and hit the ramp.

Now I have a few questions, my main concern is going to be the cost of things. I can just run down to Home depot to get wood and stuff to make ramp and a wooden box. But I hear that foam is very expensive. Is there any online stores that sell mass amounts of foam? IS there an alternative besides foam? Also what size should the cubes be if I do use foam? how big should the box be?

I think i am going to put an old matress on the bottom incase I go all the way though the foam, but how deep should the foam be? Also, on the take of ramp, should if have a huge lip and huck me high into the air, landing only 3-4 feet away, or should it be a longer jump with less of a lip letting me land 8-10 feet away?

And the most important question, how big should the box of foam be, the smaller the more cost effective but the bigger the less of a chace I have of going over the side or hitting the walls?


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## Rover Nick (Jul 13, 2006)

I can't imagine foam is gonna be cheap. Alot moreso than a big pile of dirt

What kinda maintenance does a foam pit require. I would imagine it has to be covered when not in use


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## JBsoxB (May 18, 2004)

lol you are ridiculous.

how old are you by the way?


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## Jervis.G (Sep 17, 2007)

I have made a foam pit with my friend in his backyard. Construction on the walls is relatively easy, just make sure the height of the wall where u need the get out (i.e the front) is lower. We went to our local upholsterers for foam and got 5-7 big bails each month or so... wait for it... for free! They gave us all their off cuts which are just fine. Here is a video of the day we first got it up and running, we didn't have much foam then but it is just towering with it now. When not in use it covered with a large tarp, simple.


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## d_m_b (Jun 8, 2007)

Jervis.G said:


> I have made a foam pit with my friend in his backyard. Construction on the walls is relatively easy, just make sure the height of the wall where u need the get out (i.e the front) is lower. We went to our local upholsterers for foam and got 5-7 big bails each month or so... wait for it... for free! They gave us all their off cuts which are just fine. Here is a video of the day we first got it up and running, we didn't have much foam then but it is just towering with it now. When not in use it covered with a large tarp, simple.


haha F-in rad!

looks pretty dense though...i'd imagine the landings can be hard occasionally?


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## joelalamo45 (Aug 3, 2006)

If you are serious.... the box should be around 5' deep, at least 12' wide, and I'd say no less than 16' long... more like 24' would be ideal. Most foam pits I have ridden are 16' wide, 32' long and 5-6' deep...


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## sealclubber (Apr 10, 2007)

urbanfreerider said:


> I think i am going to put an old matress on the bottom incase I go all the way though the foam, but how deep should the foam be? Also, on the take of ramp, should if have a huge lip and huck me high into the air, landing only 3-4 feet away, or should it be a longer jump with less of a lip letting me land 8-10 feet away?
> 
> And the most important question, how big should the box of foam be, the smaller the more cost effective but the bigger the less of a chace I have of going over the side or hitting the walls?


just an fyi to either make sure you have dense enough foam or more than 1 matress.

i went head first to the bottom of a foam pit a month ago and they had a trampoline beneath the 5 feet of foam, and i almost broke my neck and back. sat in a recliner and didnt move for 4 days. still very much so injured from that one, haven't ridden my bike since.

although i really would enjoy if you found out the hard way, got scared and quit biking/posting here


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## sealclubber (Apr 10, 2007)

d_m_b said:


> haha F-in rad!
> 
> looks pretty dense though...i'd imagine the landings can be hard occasionally?


you really REALLY dont want it to be not dense enough, trust my above post...


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## derfernerf (Jun 25, 2006)

urbanfreerider said:


> Now I have a few questions, my main concern is going to be the cost of things. I can just run down to Home depot to get wood and stuff to make ramp and a wooden box. But I hear that foam is very expensive. Is there any online stores that sell mass amounts of foam? IS there an alternative besides foam? Also what size should the cubes be if I do use foam? how big should the box be?


in your case....nails,screws,knives,or you can talk to kids at your school and use empty "monstor" cans


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## bringdoom (Sep 1, 2007)

As much as I would like to agree with derfernerf or how ever that is spelled. Foam is not cheap, not at all. I know some fmx riders spend $20-$40k On there foam pit and most of that is in foam. Of course you would not need as much foam. Alot of people will find old couches on the side of the road and take the cushions. Those couch cushions will take up some space. Also line the bottom with mattrasses. foam cubes move and before you know it you will be hitting hard ground, mattresses wont move off the bottom and will require less foam, and you can find some old mattresses for damn near nothing. Might want to lysol them first, lol. Also get a good tarp, you dont want rain getting in that thing or even worse, raccoons or other animals, lol.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Human bodies are pretty good for absorbing impact. You can find those for free in the cemetary, morgue, from the local crime lord, human traffickers, etc.


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## InnovateorDie (Sep 25, 2006)

LMAO

man, i love this forum


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## Rb (Feb 28, 2007)

PACKING PEANUTS!!!!!!

(disclaimer: do not hold me responsible for whatever injury you may cause to yourself...)


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## aeffertz91 (Aug 20, 2007)

you could just probably put nothing in it because you can probably land all your tricks the first time, and if you dont, your used to riding with plenty of broken bones... so if you were smart, you wouldnt even bother to build a frame considering your not going to put anything in it.
you'll probably get sponsored pretty soon. hopefully by monstor or maybe roxtar energy? lmao... good luck.
these forums...


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## urbanfreerider (Aug 13, 2007)

Thanks for the replys, but i am going to start as soon as possible in constructing the ramp. Right now I am figuring out what the best and cheapest way to get foam is. If anyone has any ideas please post.


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## JBsoxB (May 18, 2004)

pretty sure will hit the nail on the head with how to get cheap padding.


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## Jervis.G (Sep 17, 2007)

You can also put tires at the bottom of the pit, cover tires with chicken fencing wire to stop any foam getting into the tires. Then cover with mattresses, fill with foam and your set.


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## aggiebiker (Apr 18, 2006)

fill it with money....


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## thatdownhillkid (Mar 11, 2007)

go find the local hobo hangout. i hear theres a ton of couches there


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## NoBrakes! (Jun 15, 2007)

go through public bathrooms and use bushy pubes from he tolets


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

You wanna fight a hobo for his couch? Go right ahead. It's the last thing you'll do.


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## bbrz4 (Jun 12, 2007)

yes noobjumper GO AHEAD -im serious-


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

Why a foam pit? A crocodile pit must be even more fun to land in.


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## Cru Jones (Aug 10, 2006)

aggiebiker said:


> fill it with money....


It worked for Uncle Scrooge...


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## joelalamo45 (Aug 3, 2006)

If you have a pool... just jump into that...


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## burtonboarder18 (Jun 28, 2007)

you should use krabby patties that wayyou can eat them when ur done


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## JBsoxB (May 18, 2004)

XSL_WiLL said:


> You wanna fight a hobo for his couch? Go right ahead. It's the last thing you'll do.


mabye that's a good thing to suggest to urbanfreerider 

go for it man :thumbsup:


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## Splash (Sep 10, 2007)

Travis Pastrana's foam pit, wasn't big enough for this dude: "You can go twice as fast!"


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## aeffertz91 (Aug 20, 2007)

haha, street bike tommy!
thats pretty funny, along with all the stuff on the nitro circus videos...


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## Jiffycake (Sep 22, 2005)

fill your pool with foam..

after a while you can score a sponsor with Jello and fill it with that


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## The Tod Says What?! (Jan 20, 2007)

last time i checked ebay it was $1500 fro 5000 4" foam cubes. but imagine the shipping...


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## *B* (Mar 17, 2007)

Go to a gymnastics facility/gym, they always have foam pits (and have been using them way longer than most).....you can get a good idea of what will work for you and maybe talk your way into a hook up on foam.


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## urbanfreerider (Aug 13, 2007)

Well guys, I have been thinking about it and i think it might just be better to go without a foam pit. it sounds like it is really hard to get all the foam and during the winder water couls somehow leak in and then the bugs could get in or the mice and then... god knows what would living in my foam...!

But instead I think i am just going to make a huge table top, eventualy add a few quarter pipes, and have my own park in my back yard! It might be better in the long run. but I am still tempted to make a foam pit, it just seems like it would be hard to work out.

if anybody has any pics of homemade quarter pipes, half pipes, kickers, fun boxes... all that stuff, it would be nice to have some inspiration.


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## Ryan! (Sep 19, 2007)

Motocross foam pits are only soo expensive because we have to use foam that wont burn or melt with hot exhausts or petrol..

or your foam pit, you could use anything.. hell even hens teeth if you can find them hahahaha...


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## balfabiker22 (Feb 26, 2006)

Dude make a mulch jump then you can actually land it!






this is A revs...Mulch is also cheap.


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## Ryan! (Sep 19, 2007)

Thats SKILLS^^^ who is that riding?


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## balfabiker22 (Feb 26, 2006)

that is drop in crew and that is mitch cubey. I think that his name. That was the fist day he learned back flips and flip whips.Then a week later to dirt...


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## urbanfreerider (Aug 13, 2007)

you can still fvck yourself up really bad in that. Mulch isn't exactly the thing you want to land upsidedown in...


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## JBsoxB (May 18, 2004)

urbanfreerider said:


> you can still fvck yourself up really bad in that. Mulch isn't exactly the thing you want to land upsidedown in...


either is foam. please stop talking now.


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## Ryan! (Sep 19, 2007)

where do you buy mulch? at garden stores or what? those look really good for learning tricks!


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## joelalamo45 (Aug 3, 2006)

You can buy it by the dump-truck load for like $100-$200 from landscaping companies. Google "mulch for sale".


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## Ryan! (Sep 19, 2007)

Thanks... not much in my area is for sale on the internet(south africa)


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## J-dogg (Aug 7, 2006)

hahhahahahhaha


id say, stack midgets and angry kittens together with hobos and just jump on that

and die.

go ride yer fyckin bike dude, foam pits are worthless.

$10 says you may not even be able to a trick the requires a foam pit

i may be wrong

but i learned how to do 2" off one handers on dirtt...


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## tg6392 (Aug 13, 2006)

i heard that foam, as a rough estimate, is $1 a cube.


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## Wiggins (Oct 2, 2007)

*Foam pit idea*

Hey all, i was lookin on google for sum idea nd info on how to build a foam pit.. nd i found this site nd thought id post on it nd see wat i can find out.. me nd my mates hav been ridn for about 3 months nd weve been ridn park, weve startd to learn 360 tailwhips nd **** like that but we wana start on say backflip & frontflips and then work onto combo's. lol i dont tihnk if i tried 1 at the sk8 park it would work out to well haha

well heres my idea anyway...

me nd my mates were thinkin of buildn a foam pit nd i was thinking of having 4 or 8 thick timber posts in a box shape and then a thick net around the outside to hold the foam in... aswell as buildin a support on the side to get in and out of... do u think this wil work cause id be alot chaeper than wood. also does any1 no how much it cost for foam from a dealer.... ? lol

cheers


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## Wiggins (Oct 2, 2007)

*Foam pit idea*

Hey all, i was lookin on google for sum idea nd info on how to build a foam pit.. nd i found this site nd thought id post on it nd see wat i can find out.. me nd my mates hav been ridn for about 3 months nd weve been ridn park, weve startd to learn 360 tailwhips nd **** like that but we wana start on say backflip & frontflips and then work onto combo's. lol i dont tihnk if i tried 1 at the sk8 park it would work out to well haha

well heres my idea anyway...

me nd my mates were thinkin of buildn a foam pit nd i was thinking of having 4 or 8 thick timber posts in a box shape and then a thick net around the outside to hold the foam in... aswell as buildin a support on the side to get in and out of... do u think this wil work cause id be alot chaeper than wood. also does any1 no how much it cost for foam from a dealer.... ? lol

cheers


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## Wiggins (Oct 2, 2007)

*Foam pit idea*

Hey all, i was lookin on google for sum idea nd info on how to build a foam pit.. nd i found this site nd thought id post on it nd see wat i can find out.. me nd my mates hav been ridn for about 3 months nd weve been ridn park, weve startd to learn 360 tailwhips nd **** like that but we wana start on say backflip & frontflips and then work onto combo's. lol i dont tihnk if i tried 1 at the sk8 park it would work out to well haha

well heres my idea anyway...

me nd my mates were thinkin of buildn a foam pit nd i was thinking of having 4 or 8 thick timber posts in a box shape and then a thick net around the outside to hold the foam in... aswell as buildin a support on the side to get in and out of... do u think this wil work cause id be alot chaeper than wood. also does any1 no how much it cost for foam from a dealer.... ? lol

cheers


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## Wiggins (Oct 2, 2007)

*Foam pit idea*

fuk sorry bout that the thing wasnt sayin it was sent so i tried a couple of times... sorry guys lol


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## Bradfreeride (Jul 5, 2010)

*gyms*



*B* said:


> Go to a gymnastics facility/gym, they always have foam pits (and have been using them way longer than most).....you can get a good idea of what will work for you and maybe talk your way into a hook up on foam.


I was talking with people that had a foam pit for little 50cc dirtbikes with the big bars and all and they were saying go to gyms because they have to completely throw away the foam like very 1-2 years for health purposes and they are happy to give it away as long as they can get rid of it free so call some.


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