A prominent discipline of BMX riding, known as dirt jumping, involves riding your bike off inclined dirt mounds. Dirt jumpers reach high altitudes while performing maneuvers defined as tricks. For professional dirt jumping contests, ramp builders utilize a machine known as a backhoe. The digging bucket of the backhoe allows the builders to construct large dirt ramps that often have a height of more than 10 feet. Build your own dirt ramps using a few simple tools to create a private riding course for your friends and fellow BMX riders.
Step 1
Locate an outdoor building site where you have permission to build your dirt jumping ramps. Transport your building supplies to a location that features an open space as well as a level surface. Insert the rounded tip of the spade shovel into the ground near the location you wish to construct your first ramp.
Step 2
Pull back on the handle of the spade shovel to dislodge the dirt from the ground. Place your first shovel full of dirt into the wheelbarrow. Repeat the digging process until you have filled your wheelbarrow with dirt. Lift the handles of the wheelbarrow to transport the dirt away from the hole.
Step 3
Rotate your wheelbarrow sideways to dump the dirt onto the ground. Utilize the head of the spade shovel to pile the dirt into a mound. Use the head of the flat shovel to create a smooth inclined ramp on the side of the dirt mound. Add a small amount water to the smooth face of the ramp to harden its construction.
Step 4
Increase the height of your dirt jumping ramp by adding more dirt onto the top of the mound. Repeat the smoothing and hardening process to create a BMX ramp that has a height of 3 to 4 feet. Transport your wheelbarrow and spade shovel back to the hole that you dug.
Step 5
Use the head of the spade shovel to fill your wheelbarrow with dirt. Measure 6 to 8 feet in front of your first dirt ramp using the tape measure. Rotate the wheelbarrow sideways to dump the dirt at the appropriate distance from your first ramp. Construct a dirt mound that stands half as tall as your first ramp.
Step 6
Utilize the head of the flat shovel to build an inclined ramp that faces in the opposite direction as your first ramp. Add a small amount of water to create a dirt landing ramp. Examine the construction of your dirt ramps by jumping your BMX bike off the first ramp and onto the landing ramp.
Things You'll Need
- Spade shovel
- Flat shovel
- Wheel barrow
- Gallon jug of water
- Tape measure
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