Solipsisto Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Which types of rides are the easiest and which are the hardest to maintain? I don't think I've ever ridden Indiana Jones when everything was working properly. I've also heard it costs as much to operate Kingda Ka as every other ride in Six Flags new Jersey combined. Log flumes, on the other hand, seem to have both great ride capacity and relatively easy maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metsfan0618 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Anything HUSS hahahah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Intamins do cause a lot of work for maintenance, especially Hypers and higher. As old as Arrow loopers are, I have seen some that have many problems, and some that are more reliable then some newer coasters. I guess it all depends on how well the park takes care of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Yeti Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 This brings Dudley Doo-Right to mind. To begin with, the ride opened later than the rest of the park and it also seems to be closed for at least one month every year for maintenance. I really don't know whether or not they re-profiled the drop, but at least one or two different years the ride was closed for an extended period of more than a month. Then they closed the ride and added restraints, and then I think they re-did those restraints. *Topple tower legacyz* Cedar Point was specifically annoying in the events of ride breakdowns, or even rain, on both of my trips there. The ride ops never even seemed to speculate about the problem openly, nor would they give any estimate on how long the event could last. I feel like most other parks, Six Flags included, handle the situation better by being somewhat open and honest with their guests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Every single ride ever built. No design can withstand the wear and tear of being cycled as many times as rides do. Some are just better at prolonging the inevitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PalmTree55 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Every single ride ever built. No design can withstand the wear and tear of being cycled as many times as rides do. Some are just better at prolonging the inevitable. Well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailisun98 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Every single ride ever built. No design can withstand the wear and tear of being cycled as many times as rides do. Some are just better at prolonging the inevitable. Schwarzkopffs are surprisingly good at getting older. They are still extremely fun as long as they DON'T get OTSRs. I'm looking at you SFMM!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 ^I would say that the amount of preventative maintenance required to keep them running good would place them in the "bad" category for maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceattack52 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I've seen that typically B&Ms have done the best in terms of up-time in consideration for how much they're used by a park. I've seen tons of problems with anything that isn't a full circuit such as the Vekoma Boomerangs, but I have seen pretty good up-time from the Intamin impulse coasters. I would say that after everything, typically mine trains or smaller rides like that require less hassle in therms of maintenance, probably because they go slower so there should be less wear, and the restraints usually aren't individual, it's usually one system for each car, which reduced the number of moving parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJLehto Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 It does seem that B&Ms are the most reliable coasters, in regards to running well, break downs, maintenance. While obviously Intamin coasters, well I've never been to a park and didn't see an Intamin shut down, at least briefly. They also seem to need much maintenance but as it's been said it depends how well each park does it. Also maybe the more intense Intamin rides just have more wear than the better designed, smoother/less intense B&M ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yay101 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Probably Vekoma Giant Boomerangs. When Déjà Vu operated at SFGAm, I never got to go on it because it was literally always closed, and therefore I have never ridden it. Also, the Intamin 400 ft. coasters (TTD and Kingda Ka) aren't the most reliable either. I'm not sure about Kindga Ka, but when I was at Cedar Point, TTD was only open one day of the 2 days both when I went this year and four years ago. It wasn't because of wind or anything either, there were maintenance workers working on the launch zone when it was closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayCoasterGuy Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 ^I would say that the amount of preventative maintenance required to keep them running good would place them in the "bad" category for maintenance. I've been under the impression that the biggest problem with the Schwarzkopf coasters are the brakes. That's where I always see the maintenance guys at. Of course, Hersheypark (sooperdooperLooper) saw a great resolve to that with mag brakes. (I know I know it costs money... ) Another note - Whizzer hardly ever has shut downs. The parts are expensive, but it runs with out a hitch (not counting the continuous stacking of trains - but can't complain much, as I'm happy we still have the ride!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Probably Vekoma Giant Boomerangs. When Déjà Vu operated at SFGAm, I never got to go on it because it was literally always closed, and therefore I have never ridden it. Also, the Intamin 400 ft. coasters (TTD and Kingda Ka) aren't the most reliable either. I'm not sure about Kindga Ka, but when I was at Cedar Point, TTD was only open one day of the 2 days both when I went this year and four years ago. It wasn't because of wind or anything either, there were maintenance workers working on the launch zone when it was closed. Goliath has been pretty good at Six Flags New England when I've been there. It was closed earlier this season when they were trying to get the new trains running, but when the ride has its old train on and ready to go, it has been pretty reliable. I think I've only seen it broken down once in three visits and it was back up and running after just 15 minutes. Kingda Ka meanwhile I have seen breakdowns similar to that. The first time I visited Great Adventure, Kingda Ka broke down twice when I tried to reserve it with the Flash Pass and then it broke down again when I finally got in line. It definitely helped build up some extra suspense for the coaster since I had never been on either of the strata coasters before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailisun98 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I've seen that typically B&Ms have done the best in terms of up-time in consideration for how much they're used by a park. I've seen tons of problems with anything that isn't a full circuit such as the Vekoma Boomerangs, but I have seen pretty good up-time from the Intamin impulse coasters. I would say that after everything, typically mine trains or smaller rides like that require less hassle in therms of maintenance, probably because they go slower so there should be less wear, and the restraints usually aren't individual, it's usually one system for each car, which reduced the number of moving parts. One B/M that is down pretty often is Vortex @ CGA. IT broke down FIVE times in a single day when I was there last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceattack52 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 ^ I can see how that's understandable, as Vortex was only their 2nd coaster, they probably hadn't had everything figured out, or the more advaanced technology we have 22 years later. Also, the Intamin 400 ft. coasters (TTD and Kingda Ka) aren't the most reliable either. I'm not sure about Kindga Ka, but when I was at Cedar Point, TTD was only open one day of the 2 days both when I went this year and four years ago. It wasn't because of wind or anything either, there were maintenance workers working on the launch zone when it was closed. I was at SFGAdv this summer and Kingda Ka was doing surprisingly well; it didn't close once all day and I was expecting it to close at some point if it was even open for the day. Because of the degree of sophistication that's required for a launch, I'm sure there's all kinds of things that could go wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrecken Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 I would think that rides that have a lot of complex parts, like Vekoma flyers, would be harder to maintain, and also hydraulic launch coasters, since those also seem to be very complicated mechanically. These sorts of coasters also seem to break down quite a bit. And then there are the Arrow suspended coasters - obviously very hard to maintain since there are so few left and BBW only lasted 25 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceattack52 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Oh yes, the Vekoma Flyers seem pretty hard to maintain; I wasn't even think about those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defcon62 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Based on what I've seen the past couple years, The Tumble Bug at Conneaut Lake, All parts must be custom made to order and fitted by hand. There is no option of calling the manufacturer for repair advice or to order parts. That and it is a complete maintenance hog that demands constant attention to stay in top shape. Kennywood cheated by modernizing theirs, CLP's is totally unchanged from the old days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. M Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 ^You'd think 3D printing technology could solve that problem sometime in the future. Every park could have its own printer for quickly whipping up any custom part they need, and have the ride up and running within a few days. I know, random, just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronWolfman Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 (edited) ^I know how expensive the printers and their materials are, but most parks can afford it. You have no idea how great of an idea that could be. (not counting the continuous stacking of trains) It still baffles me how SFGAm ops can double stack a ride that only has seatbelts. When it comes to the topic of this thread, I've only witnessed 2 rides down while I was at a park. First, Aftershock @ Silverwood was closed the day I went to the park (in 2009) for scheduled maintenance. This year on my trip to Silverwood, Spincycle broke down while I was riding. The ops fixed the ride quickly. Edited August 7, 2013 by IronWolfman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronWolfman Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Ignore this, sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geauga Dog Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Maverick. It seems every time I get in line it has a breakdown. It's bad enough CP's best ride has the worst queue line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Every single ride ever built. No design can withstand the wear and tear of being cycled as many times as rides do. Some are just better at prolonging the inevitable. Would it be fair to say the Arrow suspendeds are the only sort of exception to this? They seem to be the only type consistently referred to as a nightmare to maintain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 A similar question came up at a Holiday World TPR tour a few years ago, and the technicians' answer was "Paul Revere's Midnight Ride." I believe they removed this ride, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arby Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 I believe they removed this ride, too. Yes. We were there the last day it ran on October 2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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