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So I decided to update my home-vaulting facility, and I need to build the runway. I have had a couple of ideas, one of them was to just level the ground, and roll the runway directly on the ground, and the other is to build a wooden runway. I would rather build the wooden one, but I have no idea how to do it. If anybody has any plans on how to build one could the please send me the schematics, and how to put the box in correctly.

thanks

Look for some wooden floor trusses and then put 2x4's across it every 3 or 4 feet, and then put about 1/2 inch thick plywood on top to make the running surface...

BethelPV wrote:Look for some wooden floor trusses and then put 2x4's across it every 3 or 4 feet, and then put about 1/2 inch thick plywood on top to make the running surface...

1/2 inch plywood is not nearly stiff enough for a span of 3 or 4 feet. That's pretty flimsy even for 3/4 inch.

You could get by using 2 X 8's instead of trusses. Lay the 2 X 4 crossmembers flat, and space them every foot if using 1/2 plywood, and 3/4 inch plywood is recomended.

has anybody ever used/seen a runway just laid out on the ground (after removing grass and leveling) that is nice, or should I just go ahead and build a wooden one. I know there is a guy on bubbapv.com under the "backyard pole vault" section that has one, and it looks pretty nice.

Come to think of it our 2x4 studs might be a little closer, and they lay flat. I will find out tomorrow and get back to you guys, but I am sure our plywood isn't any thicker than 3/4 inches...

I don't remember where I got this drawing (other than off the web), and I would likely replace the 2x4 side rails with 2x6 or 2x8, but it looked interesting to me at the time. I've uploaded it to my site and you can download it with
this link. Your browser may display it in a small version, but it is a large image so the dimensions are easily read. Note also it is designed so each segment interlocks with the next.

- master

I built a runway using the basic design that master has linked up. I modified it a little by adding legs in the middle, using 3/4" OSB T&G and cutting the plywood 32" instead of ripping it in half. Can send the plans if anyone want them. You don't need to go bigger than a 2x4. Ran me about $250 for 104' of runway. It was $20-$25 in materials per section. If you use floor joist and 3/4" plywood it will run you about $50-$60 per section.


At the school I coach at we also added a practice runway clearing out the grass and adding recycled cement and sand. We dug up the turf, framed the runway and filled it with a layer of recycled asphalt. We then put a layer of fine sand over that. Purchased a roll out runway.

Either way you decide to go there will be some labor involved. It took me a few days to put the wood runway together but it is sturdy. The practice runway we got done in about 4 hours but we also had 3 coaches and 6 kids on the job.

I built my runway entirely out of 3/4" plywood (exactly 2 sheets per section) and 2.5" screws. The problem with 2X lumber is that it is prone to crack. It's 144' long and cost about $1000 back when plywood was really high. It's much cheaper now.

I used a 16" span for my joists. 24" would be the widest you would want to use.

Will i have problems, if I just roll the runway out on packed dirt?

Your going to want to level the dirt first. Sand is easier to level than topsoil, unless your topsoil is sand then it wouldn't be that tough. I also forgot to mention that we have 2 layers of rubber over the sand. First layer was rubber we got from our local hockey center becuase they resurfaced. The second layer is a rollout we bought from an athletic supplier. You dont want hills and valleys in the runway it will really mess things up.

I've heard second hand from someone who rolled out a conveyor belt on the ground, and after it settled in (killed the grass and packed the ground), it was a nice surface.

you can lay a cement runway with rubber over that. It would be a pretty easy way, IDK if it would be cheap but it would last...