Comments on: How to build a backyard Zamboni

By: Chipp

Chipp — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:44:25 +0000

It is best to pull it with the holes facing up that way the water has more time to spread evenly. For best results have the water spray up onto a towel dragging behind your Homeboni. Using a product without a towel can cause puddling and divots if you aren’t careful.

By: jason

jason — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:39:16 +0000

Hey guys,
I built my first rink this year and things are going smoothly, thanks to the weather. I’m wondering when i built the rink rake the the holes face the ice when assembling rink rate? Also, do I need the rag behing attached to it.

Thanks,
Jay

By: Lonnie Werstiuk

Lonnie Werstiuk — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 04:40:06 +0000

I agree with Matt. I built a 24 x 45 rink in my back yard and had a 10 x 10 corner that was about a foot higher than the rest of the yard. luckily for me my neighbour is a contractor/landscaper so he came over with his bobcat and knocked it down…..then gave me a crash course on how to use it….pointed me at his dirt piles and let me have at it….he even had a pile of sod off-cuts leftover from projects so i got it all leveled and laid out so now when the snow melts it will have plenty of water to grow back and the yard will be level for the following year.

By: eric

eric — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:22:41 +0000

Best $300 he could spend.

By: jeremy

jeremy — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 03:55:49 +0000

in case you havent gone with the wood framing yet…

i think you’d be much better off (if surrounding features allow it) to rent a miniexcavator for a day and level your yard out. just reseed the grass in the spring. for 300 bucks (rental and see) and some work to prepare the ground for seed in the spring, you’ll have nice flat surface forever.

i have a miniexcavator right now and am doing just that.

jeremy

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:52:15 +0000

Ryan is correct under certian conditions. The key is not the plywood but the frame. You can use cheep 3/4″ ply but you need to invest in the framing. (Terms: Rails are the long boards on edge running the length of your frame: Stiles are the boards at the end, also on edge, that will cover the exposed ends of the Rails: Beams run on edge between the rails which makes them 3″ shorter than the Stiles). Your Rails are going to be longer than what you can buy in one length, make sure your seams are not in the same place on both sides, try and off set the butt end connections by at least 3 feet. Here is what will make the wood platform viable – put your Beams at 14″ on center and put spacers between the beams every 2 feet. You will want to off set the spacers by one foot between each Beam, to give a a completed 1′ x 1′ grid for the entire frame. I would suggest for weight to use 1″ x 4″ for your Beams and spacers, and build it in 4 to 6 sections that you can bolt together and leg up at the connection points. This will give you a heavy beast, but math will prove that on a 1′ grid the weight of less than 14″ of water will not warp 3/4″ plywood. This means no cracking; a level surface; less water; quicker freezing. The only other things to consider is how you distribute the weight under your support legs and how you cross brace your frame. When you take 150 pounds in motion and hard stop the force from side to side is a little under 650 pounds of pressure. Applied side to side on a 20′ frame this could tork an un cross braced frame at 30″ enough to colpase. Not easy to build or solve all the problems, but sure to give you a solid unmoving surface to skate on.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:40:35 +0000

My thoughts are your ice will be constantly cracking.. wood is flexible

By: matt from pittsburgh

matt from pittsburgh — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:28:19 +0000

im thinking of building a rink, (40×30 approx). my problem is the slope of my yard. my deep end will be about 24-30″. rather than wait for 2′ of water to freeze, i am thinking of making a platform on which to skate. i realize the amount of lumber this will take but should be a 1 time ordeal. also im thinking that with a flat surface and 2×4 frame this will take less water and time to freeze. im thinking of making my ice flush with the top of my frame. this will give me 3″ of ice and also make clean off easier. any help, ideas, or comments would help. thanks

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 01:21:35 +0000

Here’s a rookie question… Do I use the rake with the holes up or down? I was thinking up because then I can ensure that I get a more even water flow rather than down… Or does it matter since I will be pulling the rake at an angle?

By: Wayne in NH

Wayne in NH — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:47:22 +0000

Hi Ron, I made my rink rake using the instructions on this site 2 years ago. I fed it with 1.25″ hose from an old sump pump pulling water from the pond that we skate on at work. I made the bottom pipes (with holes) 8′ wide thinking I had more flow than from a garden hose. I even added fittings at the tee so I can disassemble it into three pieces to fit in my car. The rink rake had no issues with the pressure since the pipe walls are fairly thick. The white PVC flexes a lot but hasn’t cracked yet in the NH weather which is similar to ON. The biggest ice maintenance chore was cutting the hole in the ice with a chainsaw every week – my 18″ Poulan barely broke through the ice on some days.

Last year someone at work threw away the 1.25″ hose, but they installed an outdoor spigot this past summer. I fed it with a garden hose today and it still worked fine although I had to rake it much slower than I did with the sump pump. It took me 90 minutes today, whereas it would have been 45 minutes tops with the sump pump.