Have you ever wanted to build a course for your Rock Crawler but are limited on space?
Then here are a few easy steps on how you can make your own, easily movable, Rock Crawler course. These steps are based on building for a 1/10 scale rock crawler but you can use smaller scale trucks on it as well, such as 1/12 and 1/24.
Materials used for these sections include:
Caster Wheels, Plywood, 2×4, Quickrete, Burlap, Plaster Cloth, Screws, Spray Foam, Nuts and Bolts.
Most of these items can be picked up at your local hardware store. Our Westland location being half hardware/half hobby shop was perfect for purchasing 90% of the items used. The wood had to be bought elsewhere.
Step 1:
Figure out how much space total you have to work with. This will determine how many sections you can build and how large you can make them. In this case I decided to build four sections that measured out to four feet by four feet. You can easily build smaller if you don’t have the space.
Step 2:
The basic construction of this platform starts with using 2x4s on each side with one down the middle for strength. Place the castor wheels with one on each corner. You can add more bracing or less in the middle depending on what you plan on covering the section with. In this case we are covering it with concrete so it will have some weight to it.
Step 3:
This is where you can get creative. You can screw 2x4s or anything you might have laying around to get the overall height of what you want to crawl. Be sure to add support pieces between the lowest point and the highest point. (See picture 1)
Congratulations! You successfully have some wood screwed to a platform. Some might even say you’re making art. Now onto the next step
Step 4:
Now using the burlap roll, cover the section. You can use screws or staples to secure it all to the main platform and to the tops of each piece of wood (see pictures 2 – 4).
You can also use chicken wire in place of the burlap. You can also use plaster cloth which can be found in the Woodland Scenics section of your local hobby shop. This is good for forming specific shapes as it will harden once set (see picture 5).
This is what you will be covering with quickrete so be sure to pull it tight as you stretch it over everything. Making something in a pyramid type shape like this allows you to spin the section around and approach at different angles when pieced together with other sections. If you build several like this you can assemble like a puzzle with endless ways to complete.
Step 5:
If you find yourself with a flat spot here or there or just want to add a little something more to the section you can use spray foam to build up pieces or make small fake rocks. Be careful with the spray foam as it can get very messy and will stick to everything. I highly recommend wearing gloves and clothes you don’t care about possibly ruining.
Step 6:
Once you have everything covered now you can cover with concrete. I used quickrete for this application, be sure to mix well and be careful.
Once you have your section completely covered and dry, you can now drive on it. Feel free to make as many sections as you want. With them being on wheels they are easy to move around. You can see the finished sections that were made at our Southgate location.
