PoleVaultPower.com

I ran on one in college. It was indoors so it was made of untreated wood.
You want it to be eight inches off the ground unless you are planning to dig the box into the ground.
We used 2 by 8's and we spaced the beams at 2 feet so we got very good bounce on it and speed. Then we rolled a rubber carpet on it. i do not know where the rubber surface came from. It was over 30 years ago.

I am sure you will find better info than this, but the spacing of the beams is important for good speed.

Here is what I call the “poor man's runway. Find a bunch of wood pallets, the ones used to load stuff with a fork lift. Many businesses will give them away. The old and broken ones pile up around the loading dock and get in the way. Fix the broken ones by taking good boards off of other pallets and replacing the broken boards. Line these up and level them. Build a 4 X 4 box out of 2X 8 lumber and place it at the end. This is where the box will go. Cover the whole thing with treated plywood using 3" wood screws, Make sure the plywood overlaps the places where the pallets meet. Cut a form for the box with a chain saw. Fill the 4x8 box with dirt or sand and bury your box in it. Call up several factories, loading docks, grain elevators, rock quarries, and any other industrial site you can think of that uses long conveyor belts. When any of these belts tear, the whole thing has to be replaced. The old belts pile up, and you can often get them for free. Bring a big pickup and a lot of help to pick it up. They are very heavy. Nail this over your plywood and you have a runway for little more than the cost of the plywood. I've build three runways using this plan and they all worked great. If you can't find a conveyor belt, it is just fine to run on the wood with sharp needle spikes. Every indoor runway was nothing more than painted wood till the late '90s when rubber became the norm. The plywood will hold up for at least a season, then it will have to be replaced.

This will only work outdoors. The pallets aren't thick enough for the box to be flush with the surface indoors. It has to be buried a few inches into the ground

I have a friend who build a runway out of pallets with 3/4" pressure-treated plywood and rubber dairy cow mats for the surface. It's very fast.

I sunk mine in the ground. My runway project is at http://www.bubbapv.com/Pages/BYVault-Mike.htm
It's a step by step pictorial with a few instructions as to how I did my runway and lights. Scroll all the way down for the pictures and story. Later....Mike

souleman wrote:I sunk mine in the ground. My runway project is at http://www.bubbapv.com/Pages/BYVault-Mike.htm
It's a step by step pictorial with a few instructions as to how I did my runway and lights. Scroll all the way down for the pictures and story. Later....Mike

Man I'm jealous....you got the biggest page on Bubba's site ;)

Just make sure you paint it or treat it with a protective layer of sealant. Especially if you're going to have this thing outside.

Nothing is more frustrating than spending a ton of cash...working your butt off building the thing...and then watching your beautiful runway warp.

Sebes

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