Need advice on buying a Pinewood Derby Track

[AlabamaDan]

Hello all,

 

I'm sure there are threads on this, but I'm not so good with the search function yet. My pack needs to buy a new track and I'm hoping to learn from everyone's experience with such. We've had the same track for as long as anyone can remember and it's in disrepair and actually belongs to someone individually, not the pack who moved and will be using the track in their new location. Who have you bought a track from? Who do recommend to use and not use? What should we look for?

 

Thanks,

Danny

[ManyHats]

We just purchased one from BestTrack last year and couldn't be happier.

http://www.besttrack.com/

We had a donation for the loop, thinking we would run a loop class. We haven't found the right combination to make the loop yet. The cars do need to be a little shorter, so they don't bottom out.

[PACK15NISSAN]

The best track for you depends on what you are looking for.

 

Wood (cheaper but inconsistant

Aluminum (expensive but fast and consistant)

PVC (between the wood and aluminum)

 

Aluminum is the best track to get in my opinion, because it lasts longer is easy to take apart and store and gives fast, consistant runs. You will need to get a track at least 42 feet long but you won't have to run multiple races because one lane is faster than another. Also a time is great for an aluminum track because races are very fast and can be very close at the finish line, gives a clear winner without involving any human error.

 

You have a lot to choose from on a derby track besides material like length, number of lanes, and finish on some aluminum tracks (anodized or not). Look at your funding, and your space (both for the track setup and for storage). BestTrack and Micro Wizard both make good aluminum tracks, Micro Wizard also sells a good wood track. Derby Magic makes the PVC track and there are tons of sites out there for building your wood track or to buy aluminum plating for a wood track which will speed it up and give it more consistancy.

[ScoutNut]

We purchased ours from -

 

http://www.pinewoodderbytrack.com/

 

It is a wooden, 40', 4-lane track. We omit 1 or 2 sections when we use it so that we are not running out the door.

 

We are very pleased with it.

 

[scottteng]

Back when I was in cubs we had a parent who fund raised us a new aluminum track selling "sponsorships" to businesses they got a banner on the day of the race and a blurb in the program and the pack got a track we also presented them with a nice suitable for framing sponsorship certificate.

[Pack212Scouter]

We bought two four lane 40' tracks from Pinewoodderbytrack.com last year and couldn't be happier. Setup is very easy once you get used to it and it runs very fast. I even prefer the unique "wizz" sound the cars make on aluminum as they fly by. We previously owned a 3 lane 32' track also made by the same company (formally Piantadossi. The Best Track seems good also, but we prefered the other because it stores flat, whereas you have to store the curve of the Best Track.

[Melgamatic]

We bought a 6-lane aluminum track from BestTrack, along with the digital lane timer. Very nice. You need a large storage area. We did a lot of research before buying, but are very happy with the purchase.

 

The digital lane timer is neat. Goes into a laptop running the scoring software, and that is hooked to a LCD projector (borrowed from a parent's business). The Cubs love seeing their results up on the big screen immediately after the race, and people across the large gym can see each race's results without crowding.

 

-Dave

 

[Pack212Scouter]

Yes....I highly recommend the electronic timer hooked to a laptop with the software. We use Micro Wizard K2 series with the large finish place LCD's. Actual times, etc are on the software. We love this timer, but while it works awesome indoors, we had some issues using them at the Council races last spring. Basically, if you are outdoors or in an area with lots of windows during the day, sunlight can be an issue for the timer. If you run your PWD in these conditions, I recommend The Judge, which can be ordered with special photodiodes that work even in full sunlight.

[backpack]

We received donations via a benevolence fund from a loved Den Leader for a track. We did about 6 months of research, asked around, and made our decision.

 

We chose BestTracks because of the guarantee, ease of setup, it was aluminum, which could handle the storage area we need to keep it in, and was the best cost for the tracks.

 

We also got the MicroWizard Timer, and it works great. We ran our first race this past year with it, and it's amazingly fast. We did modify the starting gate by adding another spring. The one provided didn't drop the gate as fast as we'd like it. We had the family there with the newspapers at our dedication, and it was wonderful. The track is a wonderful showpiece, and a true testament to this leader.

 

I think it comes down to what you want, what you can afford, where it will be located, stored, and how much maintenance you want to have.

 

We did build the storage box for it, based on the plans from the website. It looks like a very large military weapon box, or casket, as it's 6 feet long, but when outfitted with foam, it provides a lot of protection for the track.

 

Get a committee together, and make your decision.

 

Have fun!

[rjscout]

That is pretty much a synopsis of what I had found last year. We are now in our fundraiser mode for our track and timer. Hopefully we can get the popcorn sales pumped up and we are also looking at a rummage sale.

 

On another Pinewood Derby topic, What is your favorite type of scale for weighing the cars? I am looking for an affordable scale that can be calibrated and is consistent. We would like to get two (one for pre-weigh station as families make final adjustments, and one for final weigh-in)

 

Thanks!

[ScoutNut]

Postal scales work well.

 

[JeffD]

harbor freight had some scales that would easily weigh the cars for about $10 on sale (reg $20) they worked great for us

[ChiefThundercloud]

I've had the occassion to deal with a new Pinewood Derby track three times.

 

First, we had a verrrrry old track that was warped and splintering. It was refurbished (kinda).

 

Second, when our track needed replacing, we had a dad in teh Pack who was a cabinet maker. We asked if he could fix our track so that it would work better. He took it upon himself to completely rebuild the track and the Pack ended up with an absolutely beautiful wooden Pinewood Derby track.

 

The third time was after I moved into Boy Scouts. The younger boys didn't want to give up the Pinewood Derby (nor did the dads). We modified the rules (ok, there are no rules - it's amazing how heavy a five POUND pinewood derby car is!)and one of the dads bought a three place aluminum derby track. We settled on aluminum for various reasons, one of which is we hold an outdoor - rocket powered - derby race UP the track.

[gpraceman2]

Hare's some information that I put together awhile ago about purchasing a track that may be helpful.

 

http://grandprix-race-central.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=3

 

You can also find several discussions on tracks at Derby Talk, http://derbytalk.com