Efficient track grooming equipment

Moto810
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Moto810
So many topics on here people complain about the lack of grooming or how rough tracks get. Tracks often say time and money is the reason for not grooming more often. So I thought maybe we could all share anything we have seen that helps make it easier for tracks?

At a local track here they use 2 dozers with rippers first, then they use 2 dozers with discs, and then they use 1 dozer with a cultivator/drag sometimes. Yes that is a lot of work, time, and fuel! Could other tracks share a better way? I am sure they could and I have seen better attachments out there at tracks like Gatorback MX and AMP GFI.

Here are some examples of those types of attachments that only require one pass around the track. Also pics of a rock removal attachment. (I had a track owner tell me there is nothing he can get to remove the rocks)













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motomatt16
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motomatt16 8/22/2016 5:51pm
8/22/2016 5:51pm
cultivator is the best i have used, however it takes at least 3 passes before its actually good
newmann
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newmann 8/22/2016 6:37pm
8/22/2016 6:37pm
Swan MX Park has it down to an art form. Huge piece of iron mesh dragging behind the stuff you posted above. Come race day morning it looked like someone had worked the entire track with a flour sifter.





MxKing809
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MxKing809 8/22/2016 6:40pm
8/22/2016 6:40pm
D5, and a spring tooth. Boom
Thelen20
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Thelen20 8/22/2016 6:46pm
8/22/2016 6:46pm Edited Date/Time 8/22/2016 6:46pm
newmann wrote:
Swan MX Park has it down to an art form. Huge piece of iron mesh dragging behind the stuff you posted above. Come race day morning...
Swan MX Park has it down to an art form. Huge piece of iron mesh dragging behind the stuff you posted above. Come race day morning it looked like someone had worked the entire track with a flour sifter.





Yep, disc followed by a drag harrow, one pass and the dirt is ready, swan is super wide so Trey has to make 2 laps to get it all. I would think this setup would work pretty good for many soil types.

The Shop

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tyler285
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tyler285 8/22/2016 6:46pm
8/22/2016 6:46pm Edited Date/Time 8/22/2016 6:48pm
All depends on your dirt. I manage Fast Farms Mx and we are in middle Tennessee, so we are blessed with great dirt and we truck in loads of saw dust. We use a tractor and a plow with an iron bar behind it, then the dozer for jumps. personally I like the plow better because it ruts up with it instead of the disc. The disc leaves a hard pan under the ripped dirt and makes it slick underneath. Depending on the crowd or if it's just a practice or race we sometimes will hit it with a box blade after we plow. Depending on the moisture content in the dirt, it take about 30-45 minutes to plow the track. The dozer work on our jumps takes the longest just to rework the jumps and push new dirt on it and keep moisture better. Check us out at www.fastfarmsmx.com
yak651
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yak651 8/22/2016 6:49pm
8/22/2016 6:49pm
Depends on the soil. What works in sand/loam isn't going to work in clay. Hard pack tracks should be chisel plowed deep a couple of times a year, then disc and rototill and would be good to go... Thing I think hurts a lot of tracks is if they have a mud race they scrape the top soil off and then never put it back.
tyler285
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tyler285 8/22/2016 6:56pm
8/22/2016 6:56pm
tyler285 wrote:
All depends on your dirt. I manage Fast Farms Mx and we are in middle Tennessee, so we are blessed with great dirt and we truck...
All depends on your dirt. I manage Fast Farms Mx and we are in middle Tennessee, so we are blessed with great dirt and we truck in loads of saw dust. We use a tractor and a plow with an iron bar behind it, then the dozer for jumps. personally I like the plow better because it ruts up with it instead of the disc. The disc leaves a hard pan under the ripped dirt and makes it slick underneath. Depending on the crowd or if it's just a practice or race we sometimes will hit it with a box blade after we plow. Depending on the moisture content in the dirt, it take about 30-45 minutes to plow the track. The dozer work on our jumps takes the longest just to rework the jumps and push new dirt on it and keep moisture better. Check us out at www.fastfarmsmx.com
Here is after a practice weekend
mx836
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mx836 8/22/2016 7:35pm
8/22/2016 7:35pm
tyler285 wrote:
Here is after a practice weekend [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/08/22/148224/s1200_image.jpg[/img]
Here is after a practice weekend
Beautiful!!
Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 8/22/2016 7:37pm
8/22/2016 7:37pm




Ripped, tilled, drug with chain link. Sand and sawdust worked into the clay base. Moisture content is key.

My old home track in CA. Miss that place. Was a lot of damn work but nothing like riding on your own track.

Mike
Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp 8/22/2016 7:46pm
8/22/2016 7:46pm Edited Date/Time 8/22/2016 7:48pm
tyler285 wrote:
Here is after a practice weekend [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/08/22/148224/s1200_image.jpg[/img]
Here is after a practice weekend
mx836 wrote:
Beautiful!!
Just guessing, but I think tyler285 was inferring something other than Beautiful?

I am not a fan of that rough or rutted of a track. Give me Swan or Rio.
Moto810
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Moto810 8/22/2016 7:53pm
8/22/2016 7:53pm
newmann wrote:
Swan MX Park has it down to an art form. Huge piece of iron mesh dragging behind the stuff you posted above. Come race day morning...
Swan MX Park has it down to an art form. Huge piece of iron mesh dragging behind the stuff you posted above. Come race day morning it looked like someone had worked the entire track with a flour sifter.





That is a nice looking place! Very cool.
mx836
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mx836 8/22/2016 8:15pm
8/22/2016 8:15pm
Johnny Depp wrote:
Just guessing, but I think tyler285 was inferring something other than Beautiful? I am not a fan of that rough or rutted of a track. Give...
Just guessing, but I think tyler285 was inferring something other than Beautiful?

I am not a fan of that rough or rutted of a track. Give me Swan or Rio.
He is showing how good a track can be after proper prep and trying to promote their track. Looks perfect. Don't think he'd be posting pics trying to turn people away. This is motocross.
Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp 8/22/2016 9:55pm
8/22/2016 9:55pm Edited Date/Time 8/22/2016 10:13pm
My bad. Not to derail the thread, but what you groom with and how it's done depends to a large degree what you're after.

I personally preferred Motocross when it was prepped with a tractor and disc and a chain link fence dragged behind it,not ripped deep.
I also prefer a track with jumps that aren't blind and don't have consequences. Just about all of those types of jumps are old school where you could drive a water truck around the entire track, unlike today's tracks where a water truck lane all the way around the track is required because the water trucks can't make it over the jumps.

That's just me, and I suspect most tracks catering to those aspiring to make a career out of it rather than a hobby would have to have 2 tracks to make that work or risk losing too many rider's from one extreme or the other.
ccstrebe
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ccstrebe 8/22/2016 10:06pm
8/22/2016 10:06pm
Here is what I use for a one pass prep. It is a custom built sacrificer with two rows of ripping teeth, staggered and on 6" centers followed up with the ring roller. It's in a video, you can fast forward to 1:42 to see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI0eRm2SbvE
Huckster
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Huckster 8/23/2016 3:39am
8/23/2016 3:39am
What is the attachment in the first photos called and where can I find one?
sgrimmxdad
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sgrimmxdad 8/23/2016 4:42am
8/23/2016 4:42am
This is what I use most of the time, had a cheaper version but just picked up one like this and it is awesome!




About once or twice a month I will hit it with my pto roto tiller. It will make it as powdery as you want it, just puts a lot more stress on the tractor so I don't use it as much!

Like this



Also have a 6ft land roller filled with diesel fuel that I can seal the track with before a storm!

A small dozer and a bobcat 863 for building and keep the jumps fresh!
sgrimmxdad
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sgrimmxdad 8/23/2016 4:48am
8/23/2016 4:48am
This is what we get after a couple of motos with 3-4 bikes!



Pit Row

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yak651
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yak651 8/23/2016 7:12am
8/23/2016 7:12am
My turn track I used a disc and rototiller. Sandy areas are prime, the areas with more sod (newly ripped up) need some work but will eventually break in and look like the other corners








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olds cool
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olds cool 8/23/2016 8:01am
8/23/2016 8:01am
JustMX could add some insight to this thread. Where are you Joe?
Moto810
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Moto810 8/23/2016 8:12am
8/23/2016 8:12am
Huckster wrote:
What is the attachment in the first photos called and where can I find one?
Go to google.com and search "Ripper cultivator" or "tractor cultivator attachment"


There are tons of places making these things and the prices are everywhere from $1200 up to $9000 or so from what I see. Some have wings also for wider surfaces.
Moto810
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Moto810 8/23/2016 8:37am
8/23/2016 8:37am
Here are some links to places who make or sell these attachments.


http://www.philipwatkins.co.uk/tinedculti.html

http://www.umequip.com/tillage/seedbed/perfecta/

http://landoll.com/content/index.php/products/farm_equipment/agricultur…

http://reveg-catalog.tamu.edu/07-Site%20Preparation.htm

http://www.fesmt.com/tillage/

http://www.ruralking.com/taylor-pittsburgh-taylor-way-12-870-series-fie…

ga_pike
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ga_pike 8/23/2016 9:12am
8/23/2016 9:12am
Box blade with adjustable teeth was what we used on our private track. Seemed to do an excellent job. Soil was a mixture in different areas from blue clay and red clay to sand to loamy peat.
early
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early 8/23/2016 9:16am
8/23/2016 9:16am Edited Date/Time 8/23/2016 9:45am
sgrimmxdad wrote:
This is what I use most of the time, had a cheaper version but just picked up one like this and it is awesome! [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/08/23/148259/s1200_perfecta_II.jpg[/img] About...
This is what I use most of the time, had a cheaper version but just picked up one like this and it is awesome!




About once or twice a month I will hit it with my pto roto tiller. It will make it as powdery as you want it, just puts a lot more stress on the tractor so I don't use it as much!

Like this



Also have a 6ft land roller filled with diesel fuel that I can seal the track with before a storm!

A small dozer and a bobcat 863 for building and keep the jumps fresh!
Thanks moto810 i thought of that just as i hit submit.
Moto810
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Moto810 8/23/2016 9:19am
8/23/2016 9:19am
sgrimmxdad wrote:
This is what I use most of the time, had a cheaper version but just picked up one like this and it is awesome! [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/08/23/148259/s1200_perfecta_II.jpg[/img] About...
This is what I use most of the time, had a cheaper version but just picked up one like this and it is awesome!




About once or twice a month I will hit it with my pto roto tiller. It will make it as powdery as you want it, just puts a lot more stress on the tractor so I don't use it as much!

Like this



Also have a 6ft land roller filled with diesel fuel that I can seal the track with before a storm!

A small dozer and a bobcat 863 for building and keep the jumps fresh!
early wrote:
Thanks moto810 i thought of that just as i hit submit.
Only a guess but diesel won't evaporate and it helps prevent rust?
Huckster
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Huckster 8/23/2016 9:34am
8/23/2016 9:34am
Moto810 wrote:
Here are some links to places who make or sell these attachments.


http://www.philipwatkins.co.uk/tinedculti.html

http://www.umequip.com/tillage/seedbed/perfecta/

http://landoll.com/content/index.php/products/farm_equipment/agricultur…

http://reveg-catalog.tamu.edu/07-Site%20Preparation.htm

http://www.fesmt.com/tillage/

http://www.ruralking.com/taylor-pittsburgh-taylor-way-12-870-series-fie…

Thanks. I have a box blade an a tiller. The tiller works great but what I have noticed is that over time it really has lowered the grade of the track lanes. Since my property is all clay, its created a lot of low spots that have turned into wet areas.
sgrimmxdad
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sgrimmxdad 8/23/2016 11:01am
8/23/2016 11:01am
sgrimmxdad wrote:
This is what I use most of the time, had a cheaper version but just picked up one like this and it is awesome! [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2016/08/23/148259/s1200_perfecta_II.jpg[/img] About...
This is what I use most of the time, had a cheaper version but just picked up one like this and it is awesome!




About once or twice a month I will hit it with my pto roto tiller. It will make it as powdery as you want it, just puts a lot more stress on the tractor so I don't use it as much!

Like this



Also have a 6ft land roller filled with diesel fuel that I can seal the track with before a storm!

A small dozer and a bobcat 863 for building and keep the jumps fresh!
early wrote:
Thanks moto810 i thought of that just as i hit submit.
Moto810 wrote:
Only a guess but diesel won't evaporate and it helps prevent rust?
I bought it filled, the seller said he filled it way back when diesel was cheap lol! The point was to prevent freezing. I paid less for it off craigslist than it would cost to refill it with diesel today!
suzrider982
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suzrider982 8/23/2016 12:00pm
8/23/2016 12:00pm
I am one of the groomers the past two years at walden Mx in upstate New York. We use a tractor with a large tooth ripper to break the ground up the night before, and we water it. Then the following day I go out on the dozer and groom everything flat and smooth. Then we go out with a 12 tooth ripper and re rip everything and then water and rip for as long as we can. We have learned that if you don't doze everything the kickers and holes don't really go away. You gotta dig them out with the dozer, but ripping the night before helps get some mostiure down in the ground













DTHA70
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DTHA70 8/23/2016 12:25pm
8/23/2016 12:25pm
and literally ZERO of these methods would work for AZ lol.

soil here turns to concrete in an instant and has big ass rocks in it. you need some real weight to break through the first 12-16" of soil to get a good till, then you could use a disc/cult to fluff it. Dozers are king out here and then a few passes in a gannon to break up the big chunks and dial in the corners.
Cygnus
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Cygnus 8/24/2016 6:08pm
8/24/2016 6:08pm
DTHA70 wrote:
and literally ZERO of these methods would work for AZ lol. soil here turns to concrete in an instant and has big ass rocks in it...
and literally ZERO of these methods would work for AZ lol.

soil here turns to concrete in an instant and has big ass rocks in it. you need some real weight to break through the first 12-16" of soil to get a good till, then you could use a disc/cult to fluff it. Dozers are king out here and then a few passes in a gannon to break up the big chunks and dial in the corners.
My soil by very compact but if I can break the surface before the rain comes to let it be able to soak in a bit and not just run off to the ditches then run the disc after the next rain it fluffs up really nice.'sandy65clay35. Rocks are non existant.

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