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Finding Cheap Dirt

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dom_daq
Posts: 371 - Karma: 440
I'm trying to build a few dirt jumps in my yard for my mountain bike and I'm having trouble coming across cheap dirt to use. I don't want to spend $40 a yard for high quality gardening topsoil for obvious reasons, but I've called most of the places that sell dirt in my area and that's what they all sell.I'm interested in how some of you guys came up with cost-effective ways of getting dirt to build some jumps.
Aug 11 2014 10:22AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,751
dig a hole
Aug 11 2014 10:23AM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
Why would you ever buy dirt? Back in the day at my old house when we used to build jumps and crap we just went into the woods and dug dirt straight from the source...
Aug 11 2014 10:23AM
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Miomo
Posts: 4302 - Karma: 14,133
Just use plywood and a couple cinder blocks

Aug 11 2014 10:28AM
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SmotSmoke
Posts: 599 - Karma: 2,728
rent out one of those bob cats and move some dirt. No soil cost but you would have to pay for the rental.
Aug 11 2014 10:30AM
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dom_daq
Posts: 371 - Karma: 440
I would go into the woods to find dirt but I'm actually trying to build legit jumps which would require multiple yards of dirt and digging up that kind of dirt in the woods with a shovel could take forever. I can't really just go into some wooods in my neighborhood with a cat you know?

And on top of that the dirt in my area is super rocky and full of clay which isn't a problem for building, it's just hard to get a lot of decent dirt out of the ground.
Aug 11 2014 10:34AM
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LoathesRaisins
Posts: 3612 - Karma: 4,735
Cement plants usually sell dirt cheap dirt.
Aug 11 2014 10:38AM
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CaptainObvious.
Posts: 5712 - Karma: 20,638
This is literally the same thing as building a kicker for skiing. Professional parks have cats. Professional mountain biking parks have bobcats. Poor skiers use shovels. Poor bikers use shovels and wheelbarrows. Go break a sweat pussy.
Aug 11 2014 10:39AM
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cool_name
Posts: 4295 - Karma: 3,131
Free section on craigslist
Aug 11 2014 1:38PM
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*DUMBCAN*
Posts: 2447 - Karma: 5,628
Don't forget a pickaxe, fuck they make digging through hard ground possible...
Aug 11 2014 1:40PM
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Rusticles
Posts: 2180 - Karma: 1,337
find a home builder or small comercial builder that is digging a basement, they usually need places to dump the dirt
Aug 11 2014 1:55PM
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BeeRad
Posts: 206 - Karma: 842
ChrisMcCandlessCement plants usually sell dirt cheap dirt.


I wanted to use the dirt cheap reference dammit
Aug 11 2014 1:55PM
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Astomp
Posts: 10090 - Karma: 344
i want to know dirt is even made.
Aug 11 2014 2:13PM
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qmack
Posts: 109 - Karma: 1,027
theres lots of free dirt in minecraft
Aug 11 2014 2:18PM
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iFlip
Posts: 4543 - Karma: 19,132
Dirt is actually fairly hard to come by. Lots and lots of people want "clean fill" to level their property, fill in a wet/marshy area, etc. That said, a lot of "fill" is anything but clean. Often it will be full of broken cinder blocks, scrap wood, roots, etc. Try calling a contractor who specializes in building/digging ponds, or at least someone who makes sites ready for home foundations.

Explain your situation, who you are (a kid), what you want to use it for, and offer to pay them a reasonable amount. Stress that you'll take the fill at their convenience. At the same time, don't just trust them to dump it randomly when you're not there. You want to make sure you're actually getting "clean fill" and not just terrible quality crap.
Aug 11 2014 2:52PM
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Caucasian_Asian
Posts: 2447 - Karma: 1,665
Call a landscaping company.

A lot of times they will have truckloads of it to dispose of after planting trees, and need to find a place close to dump it.
Aug 11 2014 3:36PM
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HamFaceGirl
Posts: 5242 - Karma: 2,676
Are you fucking kidding me OP?
Aug 11 2014 3:47PM
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JAHpow
Posts: 7282 - Karma: 17,176
Go to a gravel company and just get a load of gravel. Pit run gravel is pretty cheap, not sure how well it packs. Or if you want the good stuff get class 5.
Aug 11 2014 8:31PM
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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
Use cinder blocks/bricks/pallets as a base and just pile dirt on top of it. To get dirt, just drive into a rural mountain road and dig a hole
Aug 11 2014 8:40PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51644 - Karma: 162,266
Meet some people. When we were building our trails way back we found this guy that worked for a construction company. Got topsoil delivered for free and then dirt cheap. Had a dirt set up that rivaled sections of the best in bmx trails even contests at the time.


Only use dirt for the transition from your drop in, build the rest out of wood as tall as you want. In some spots if you're good to dig, dig the center out inbetween your jumps and use the extra dirt for the takeoff and landing or berms in between. The jumps won't look as picturesque but it'll do the job. Use other shit underneath the dirt, logs etc. If your dirt sucks use the shitty stuff on the bottom and throw any top soil on the surface to make them smooth.

What ever you do don't use sandy soil. Nothin sucks worse than landing on that shit on trails. Will fuck you and your ankles and whatever else.


Digging the centers is your best bet. You can get 4 or 5' tall jumps pretty easily. Build one good jump, then build another. Do it in stages instead of building a whole course that's super meh. Make your friends help if they want to ride.

IF you're old enough through a party. Get a keg and make people do some digging for beer.
Aug 11 2014 8:54PM
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spaceghostpurp
Posts: 249 - Karma: 835
use short logs or cinder blocks or anything that will take up space and then pile dirt over it to conserve dirt. but make it so there is a fail layer of dirt so it has the same feel. also i would look for screened loam. that is great dirt to build with and it is pretty cheap.
SEACREST OUT!!!!!
Aug 11 2014 9:17PM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
we used trees, pallets, etc. for the meat of each of our jumps and berms and then just covered in dirt. you cant even tell its not 100% dirt.
Aug 11 2014 9:39PM
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