Trail Marking

[Mag6240]

1 hour ago, X2700 said:

Have a new request from one of our land owners.He wants us to move his section of trail closer to woods because they can see where corn in that section of his field does not grow as tall?This field is plowed up every year!!First for me and i just shook my head!moving trail not that big of a deal but we have homes in that section of woods i can can already hear the phone calls about hearing sleds at night!!

 

I have seen and done all sorts of riding on different fields and crops over the years, with basically zero difference in crop yields or performance.  But hey, it’s their land and if they let us go on it, I don’t argue with where they want us to mark it.

My little 7 acre hay/alfalfa field, I made a point two years ago to only ride across it diagonally in the same tracks all year long, and there is no way you could tell where I rode by May 1st.

[X2700]

14 minutes ago, Mag6240 said:

I have seen and done all sorts of riding on different fields and crops over the years, with basically zero difference in crop yields or performance.  But hey, it’s their land and if they let us go on it, I don’t argue with where they want us to mark it.

My little 7 acre hay/alfalfa field, I made a point two years ago to only ride across it diagonally in the same tracks all year long, and there is no way you could tell where I rode by May 1st.

yep cant argue with a land owner!

next week looking great to get my section of trail all staked out!!

What distance you guys have between stakes in open fields?

[Mag6240]

5 minutes ago, X2700 said:

yep cant argue with a land owner!

next week looking great to get my section of trail all staked out!!

What distance you guys have between stakes in open fields?

With the tiny markers we’ve been using, I was going every 75-100 yards.  With the shift to the bigger 8” diamonds, I may stretch them out a little more this year.

 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Mag6240

[Doug]

On 11/8/2023 at 8:37 AM, X2700 said:

yep cant argue with a land owner!

next week looking great to get my section of trail all staked out!!

What distance you guys have between stakes in open fields?

A suggestion if your marking a field with low and high areas put markers on the high points.  At night with blowing snow it's sometime hard to see the markers in high points when grooming.  Basically if your grooming up a slight incline with no marks at the top the trail could be veering right or left and you don't know it until your at the top of the incline. 

Have made a few interesting jogs in the trail when you can't see the markers.

[X2700]

We have always used just two outer stakes at top of blind hills but thinking of going three two outside one in center.anyone here marking like that?

[Bontz]

Just now, X2700 said:

We have always used just two outer stakes at top of blind hills but thinking of going three two outside one in center.anyone here marking like that?

I've seen that (can't remember exactly, but I think it's in your neck of the wood ... towards Plainview, maybe?).  I like it, personally, but I do think 2 stakes is enough, especially if they're spaced appropriately.  I do 100% agree that stakes need to be on high points.

[Doug]

9 minutes ago, X2700 said:

We have always used just two outer stakes at top of blind hills but thinking of going three two outside one in center.anyone here marking like that?

We have a couple hills that we put 3 markers up and mark it ahead with divided trail and stay right.

[X2700]

2 minutes ago, Bontz said:

I've seen that (can't remember exactly, but I think it's in your neck of the wood ... towards Plainview, maybe?).  I like it, personally, but I do think 2 stakes is enough, especially if they're spaced appropriately.  I do 100% agree that stakes need to be on high points.

Yep i think its plainview club that is doing the three stakes.couple of us take care of elgin to millville and we have couple steep rollers that I always cringe going over not knowing who or whats on the other side!!you have some nice rollers especially trail from hwy63 up over hill towards frontenac!!

[X2700]

1 minute ago, Doug said:

We have a couple hills that we put 3 markers up and mark it ahead with divided trail and stay right.

I like that sign!!

Most of our stuff you can see over crest but couple are pretty steep and pretty open fields so i know speeds are high through there!!

[teamgreen02]

For trail marking I personally like two markers, it's easier to see and keeps the trail consistent.  Our club switched to singles and I hate it.  The trail ends up being a single groomer wide in each direction.  Once it gets whooped out the trail is 100 yards wide with sleds going everywhere.  Then you think you are on the trail and all of a sudden you hit a big dirt clump since the trail is only groomed one pass wide.

Then the next club over does it completely different...

[X2700]

Just now, teamgreen02 said:

For trail marking I personally like two markers, it's easier to see and keeps the trail consistent.  Our club switched to singles and I hate it.  The trail ends up being a single groomer wide in each direction.  Once it gets whooped out the trail is 100 yards wide with sleds going everywhere.  Then you think you are on the trail and all of a sudden you hit a big dirt clump since the trail is only groomed one pass wide.

Then the next club over does it completely different...

We switched to two probably 30 years ago!!

Cant believe im saying 30 years of marking!!

Hell been longer than that!!!!

[Doug]

@X2700 @Bontz @Mag6240 @teamgreen02

I merged the trial marking information from Wisconsin Sleeders bad news to a new "Trail Makring" thread 

[Doug]

1 hour ago, teamgreen02 said:

For trail marking I personally like two markers, it's easier to see and keeps the trail consistent.  Our club switched to singles and I hate it.  The trail ends up being a single groomer wide in each direction.  Once it gets whooped out the trail is 100 yards wide with sleds going everywhere.  Then you think you are on the trail and all of a sudden you hit a big dirt clump since the trail is only groomed one pass wide.

Then the next club over does it completely different...

We always use 2 markers otherwise your not sure on what side of the marker your supposed to go.  On the clubs official trail marking day we like to have a mix of old and new members and if possible a guy that's groomed in each marking group.  For the younger guys you can show them the basic does and don't.  For a guy that has run the groomer make sure the corners are marked far enough apart and not to put a marker on the very inside of the corner so that the drag has enough room and don't take down a sign.   

[Mag6240]

Did you guys marking MN trails get the message on “Caution” signs?  Basically we were told not to use them without another sign saying what the caution was for.  Apparently some lawyer found a legal issue with them.

[X2700]

5 minutes ago, Mag6240 said:

Did you guys marking MN trails get the message on “Caution” signs?  Basically we were told not to use them without another sign saying what the caution was for.  Apparently some lawyer found a legal issue with them.

I haven’t heard that yet? I always figure if I see a caution sign. Somethings coming up and I should slow down!!

always something!!

[Mag6240]

2 minutes ago, X2700 said:

I haven’t heard that yet? I always figure if I see a caution sign. Somethings coming up and I should slow down!!

always something!!

That's been my assumption as well.  We've used those for marking small ditches between fields, where until the groomer can fill it in, you could be in for quite the launch!

But no more supposedly... We were told at the MN USA Fall Workshop to just put reassurance diamonds in place of those - kinda like how MI removed the corner signs a few years ago.  I don't get it.

[01mxz800]

On 11/8/2023 at 9:37 AM, X2700 said:

yep cant argue with a land owner!

next week looking great to get my section of trail all staked out!!

What distance you guys have between stakes in open fields?

here in NY we have to space signs so you can see the next signs as you pass a sign, makes for a lot of post pounding on hilly terrain

[Bontz]

5 minutes ago, 01mxz800 said:

here in NY we have to space signs so you can see the next signs as you pass a sign, makes for a lot of post pounding on hilly terrain

We try to do the same thing here, especially in the fields when you have a small hill to travel up/around.  If not, it can make for some pretty uncomfortable riding when it's super snowy/windy/low visibility.  For us, it's more of a "Best Practices" type of thing ... do they actually enforce it in NY, some how?

[Mag6240]

You guys still pounding posts should make yourselves one of these - jump on it, maybe a smack or two with the crow bar and the hole is “pre-drilled” for the stakes to be pushed in - way easier IMO.

[01mxz800]

Just now, Bontz said:

We try to do the same thing here, especially in the fields when you have a small hill to travel up/around.  If not, it can make for some pretty uncomfortable riding when it's super snowy/windy/low visibility.  For us, it's more of a "Best Practices" type of thing ... do they actually enforce it in NY, some how?

our trails are spot inspected by NYSSA ( New York s State Snowmobile Association} not really enforced, remedies are "suggested" I was a trail inspector for awhile then they changed how they did inspections and don't use us anymore, inspections are now done by neighboring clubs, self policing 

[01mxz800]

45 minutes ago, Mag6240 said:

You guys still pounding posts should make yourselves one of these - jump on it, maybe a smack or two with the crow bar and the hole is “pre-drilled” for the stakes to be pushed in - way easier IMO.

I carry a steel "t" post to make my pilot holes if I need to

[Mag6240]

2 minutes ago, 01mxz800 said:

I carry a steel "t" post to make my pilot holes if I need to

Yeah, not sure of the shape of your posts, ours are the small fiberglass type, so a good 5/8" spike makes a perfect sized hole, that is snug when the post is pushed in.

 

[X2700]

we use small square metal stakes.unless ground frozen good they drive in pretty easy.We do carry drill and bit if we run into some hard ground and quick pre-drill hole.

this is first year we could actually just push stakes  in by hand in some plowed fields!

[Doug]

59 minutes ago, Mag6240 said:

You guys still pounding posts should make yourselves one of these - jump on it, maybe a smack or two with the crow bar and the hole is “pre-drilled” for the stakes to be pushed in - way easier IMO.

Nice idea.  Some time ago got some cold weather early putting a layer of frost in.  We were out with generators and drills to get the signs in.  That was miserable.

[Mag6240]

Just now, Doug said:

Nice idea.  Some time ago got some cold weather early putting a layer of frost in.  We were out with generators and drills to get the signs in.  That was miserable.

I've found that upwards of an inch of frozen turf, with my weight, a jump or two and shoooop, right to the cross members.  Like I said, no more pounding posts for this guy...  Some of those days were miserable.