Beacon BallieldDimensionsGuide-2024-WEB - Flipbook - Page 37
2 Prepping the subgrade.
INFIELD SOILS
While you may be zeroed in on how your finished
infield will look, the subgrade beneath your infield is
equally important. It should have a slope that replicates
what the finish grade will be. This is critical to ensure
a consistent depth of infield material across the entire
plane of the infield skin. If the subgrade is inconsistent,
the depth of your material will vary and that will result in
inconsistent performance of the infield skin.
3 Surface finish grade and a consistent slope.
On pages 16 and 17 of this guide we talked about how important the surface finish
grade is. No infield material — no matter how good it is — will work well if there are
issues with the flow of water across it. If water has the ability to sit on an infield, it
will soften that infield. The surface grade of the infield must have a consistent slope
from one side to the other to keep water moving. The groundskeeper’s job is to
maintain proper surface grade over time. Modern construction equipment utilizes
lasers to guide or operate the grading equipment for laying down the most precise
grade, which is to be within a tolerance of ± 1/8". This must be accomplished for
a successful installation, so be sure you find experienced field installers with the
proper equipment to do the job right. This is definitely not the part of the project
where you can take a shortcut or bring in your neighbor who says he has a skid
steer and will do it for free. You only get funding once, do it right the first time.
(continued on next page)
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