yeak ok, maybe 4" is a bit much. i usually go 2.5" to 3"
We don't know what our limits are, so to start something with the idea of being limited actually ends up limiting us.
Ellen Langer
yeak ok, maybe 4" is a bit much. i usually go 2.5" to 3"
We don't know what our limits are, so to start something with the idea of being limited actually ends up limiting us.
Ellen Langer
2.5-3" thick rungs is the comfortable zone for me totally….
2.5-3" thick rungs is the comfortable zone for me totally….
i should make a bridge somewhere with rungs that are like 12" thick just becuase.
We don't know what our limits are, so to start something with the idea of being limited actually ends up limiting us.
Ellen Langer
well youd be the guy that would do that …lol..that would last about 1000 yrs!
in 5 minutes im taking the 261 out in to knock down and buck up some alders…time to start up on firewood..
well youd be the guy that would do that …lol..that would last about 1000 yrs!
in 5 minutes im taking the 261 out in to knock down and buck up some alders…time to start up on firewood..
lol - well we can definitely have a bromance over chainsaws.
We don't know what our limits are, so to start something with the idea of being limited actually ends up limiting us.
Ellen Langer
its really raining out tho….a couple more online games of chess…
so it was because i dare question you, gods gift to trail building! :damn:
stop being such a fucking troll.
syncro knows who i am and doesn't seem to have a problem with my comments. in fact, it looks to me like he clarified his statement about his approach.
"It's, like, so much fun."
i don't have any issue with you criticizing syncros hypothesis. i just got the impression you had based your opinion entirely on intuition which i think is a dangerous behavior because people tend to have a poor understanding of how the world actually works. for example the non-intuitive theory of friction being independent of surface area.
i like to use rungs from 1.5"-4" thick depending on the width and the amount of wear or abuse they might be subject to. i will use a draw knife to flatten stringers and to plane the twist out of rungs to stop them from rocking. i also just carved a handle for my hewing hatchet to try flatting larger stringers and try to take the twist out of some of the nastier wood so i don't have to scavenge for the nice timbers.
chainsaws are a lot more fun than draw knives … just saying
Generally 2-3 inches thick, with a 2 finger spacing, however nothing should be fixed in stone, site specific conditions need to be taken into consideration:
The rungs on the ladder in the following pic were closer to 3-3.5 to increase longevity and have already worn 1/2 inch (over ~4 years) just after the roll over, as all the sphincters clamp shut.
On the flip side, the ladder up was built with thinner rungs (maximized use of availability cedar), and used the famous Karen technique of triangulation to get more grip:
The thinner rungs on the climb have hardly worn at all and were spaced wider to actively discourage animals from climbing.
Re spacing, which the OP was originally most interested in, I think 2 fingers is about right, as it allow most dogs to walk on it safely and is wide enough to not let dirt pack in and accumulate between the rungs. Once the gap gets bridged by dirt, the wood remains in contact with moisture longer thereby increasing the rate of rot of the underlying stringer (just my lay speculation).
Please let me demonstrate the ride around; really it's no trouble.
Re spacing, which the OP was originally most interested in, I think 2 fingers is about right, as it allow most dogs to walk on it safely and is wide enough to not allow dirt to pack in and accumulate between the rungs. Once the gap gets bridged by dirt, the wood remains in contact with moisture longer thereby increasing the rate of rot of the underlying stringer (just my lay speculation).
my thoughts too. too close is bad for the reasons you list.
The OP's rebuild question reminds me of when we rebuilt the beat up down ramps on Nicoles 5 years back. Similiar length and steepness. I found the BMBA link to trail day pics, shows some great shots of the rungs we split, erosion control at the bottom of the ramps, 4-legged friendly rung spacing etc. On a trail that sees alot of traffic. Hope these pics help
http://www.bmba.ca/gallery/v/trail_days/2007/nicoles_1/
and a second day we went in and replaced all the rest of the rotting woodwork.. great shots of rungs split for durability and grip in this gallery
.
The OP's rebuild question reminds me of when we rebuilt the beat up down ramps on Nicoles 5 years back. Similiar length and steepness. I found the BMBA link to trail day pics, shows some great shots of the rungs we split, erosion control at the bottom of the ramps, 4-legged friendly rung spacing etc. On a trail that sees alot of traffic. Hope these pics help
http://www.bmba.ca/gallery/v/trail_days/2007/nicoles_1/
and a second day we went in and replaced all the rest of the rotting woodwork.. great shots of rungs split for durability and grip in this gallery
PERFECT pics! Now, for the win, does anybody have any recent pics (or vids) of the same ramps?
This one looks eerily similar to the project in question in terms of grade (and I like the contrast between the old and new ramps)
After being out of town for a while, I rode past the decommissioned ramp last night and was happy to see that people have been respecting the authoritay of the flagging tape with "CLOSED FOR REBUILD" written on it…
Bringing this thread back from the dead because a little more than a year after the initial post, the ladder ramp is finally done!
The cedar is all split from butts left in a clearcut so the grain is truly gnarly. The crew finished it yesterday and I test rode it in the wet to discover that it has excellent braking traction.
The entrance approach is chunks of granite and the exit ramp at the bottom is large pieces of sandstone with pulverized sandstone as grout. We'll have to see whether the sandstone gets ruts worn into it at the same rate as the cedar.
Why did it take so long? Some sustainable old-school anti-flow rock tech projects took priority. Pics of that work to come later… :fu:
Photos from today:
that's the same spot? Wow, how the forest grows! Where is this?
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