Giant Wheel (Hersheypark)
Giant Wheel was an Intamin-supplied double wheel that operated at Hersheypark between 1973 and 2004.[1]
| Giant Wheel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hersheypark | |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | 1973 |
| Closing date | 2004 |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | Double Ferris wheel |
| Manufacturer | Waagner-Biro |
| Designer | Intamin |
| Model | Double Swiveling Wheel |
| Height | 32 m (105 ft) |
| Site area | 2,290 m2 (24,600 sq ft) |
| Vehicle type | Enclosed cage |
| Vehicles | 14 total (12 per wheel) |
| Riders per vehicle | 6 |
The entire structure weighed over 135 tons, and was installed in a 25-feet square slab of concrete, 10 feet thick.[2]
The ride comprised a 116-foot cross beam, each end carrying a 12-arm wheel, with a circular eight-passenger cabin suspended from each of the wheel arms. One end of the cross beam would rise approximately one hundred feet as its wheel spun in a clockwise motion. The cabins could also be spun in the horizontal plane using a central steering wheel, similar to a teacup ride. After being up in the air for several minutes, and after the second wheel was loaded, the first wheel was lowered to the ground and the second wheel raised in the air. When shut down, the cross beam would rest at equipoise, both wheels dangling 40-to-50 feet off the ground.
The ride could handle large crowds, and had a capacity of 2,000 persons per hour.
References
- Jacques 1997, p. 133
- Hershey's Guidebook, Western Publishing Company, 1974.
- Jacques, Charles J. (1997). Hersheypark: The Sweetness of Success. Amusement Park Journal. ISBN 9780961439217.