If you are a theme park operator, amusement park investor, or in charge of purchasing amusement rides, our latest blog post is a must-read for you. This comprehensive guide answers all the essential questions you might have about selecting, installing, and maintaining outdoor rides.
Whether you are curious about the types of rides that best suit your park, or you need tips on optimizing safety and performance, this guide covers it all. By reading this FAQ, you’ll gain valuable insights that could save you time, money, and effort when investing in outdoor amusement rides.
learn more and make informed decisions that can elevate the entertainment experience at your park.
- What Are Outdoor Rides?
- What Are The Types Of Outdoor Rides?
- How Do Outdoor Rides Work?
- Where Can Outdoor Rides Be Used?
- Who Are The Suitable Users Of Outdoor Rides?
- What Are The Parts Of Outdoor Rides?
- Are Outdoor Rides Safe?
- What Factors Should I Consider When Choosing Outdoor Rides?
- What Factors Determine The Price Of Outdoor Rides?
- How Can I Buy An Outdoor Ride?
- What Is The Minimum Set Of Outdoor Rides I Can Order?
- Does Outdoor Ride Manufacturers Grant Warranty?
- How Are Outdoor Rides Manufactured?
- What’s The Difference Between China Outdoor Rides And European Outdoor Rides?
- Are China Outdoor Rides Safe?
- Can Outdoor Rides Be Customized?
- Where Can I buy Outdoor Rides?
- How Are Outdoor Rides Installed?
- How Are Outdoor Rides Maintained?
- What Should You Do When Your Outdoor Ride Breaks Down?
- How Can Outdoor Rides Be Made Safe?
- What Safety Measures Should Be Taken When Riding Outdoor Rides?
- What Should I Look For When Checking The Quality Of Outdoor Rides?
- What Can I Do To Lower The Repair And Maintenance Cost Of Outdoor Rides?
- How Do Manufacturers Package Outdoor Rides Before Shipping?
What Are The Types Of Outdoor Rides?
There are various types of outdoor rides but the most popular ones include:
- Roller coaster
- Ferris wheel
- Pendulum rides
- Frisbee rides
- Tower rides
- Pirate ship rides
- Energy storm ride
- Train rides
- Tagada rides
- Flying chair family rides
- Spiral jet family rides.
Ferris Wheel
Roller Coaster
How Do Outdoor Rides Work?
The various types of outdoor rides have unique and different working principles. For the sake of this guide, we will look at how a few of them work.
Ferris wheel
The major components of the big ferris wheel are a wheel, gondola and motor. The motor turns the wheel of the ferris wheel. As the wheel gets to its highest point, gravity pulls it down. This cycle of up and down movement of the wheel produces a feeling of excitement and thrills for riders in the gondola.
The ferris wheel comes in different sizes. The height of the ferris wheel normally ranges from 25 meters to 180 meters.
Pendulum ride
The pendulum ride is a type of outdoor ride made up of gondola, a hub and an arm. The arms of the pendulum ride are connected to the hub at its top and the gondola at its base.
Depending on the design of this outdoor ride, the pendulum ride has a motor connected to the hub at the top or below the gondola .
In instances where the motor is connected to the hub, the motor drives the hub and this causes the arm to swing back and forth.
The gondola below the arm rotates as the arm swings. The swinging of the arm together with the rotation of the gondola produces a feeling weightlessness on the riders. This creates great enjoyment and fun for the riders.
Operation of Pendulum Ride
Where Can Outdoor Rides Be Used?
Outdoor rides can be used at several places but the popular places are:
- amusement parks
- theme parks
- garden tours
- historical sites
- tourist sites
- family parks
- shopping malls
- real estate sites
Outdoor Ride (Ferris Wheel) at a Tourist Site
Who Are The Suitable Users Of Outdoor Rides?
The suitable users of outdoor rides are children, teenagers, youth, and adults. Outdoor ride manufacturers consider the age of the ride’s users when designing it. The design, size and other unique features of the outdoor ride are made to suit the desired users.
There are some exceptions when it comes to the users of outdoor rides. Pregnant women should not use outdoor rides. Children below 7 years should be under the care of older people of at least 14 years when riding outdoor rides. People who have done surgery recently should not ride outdoor rides.
Outdoor Ride (Frisbee Ride) for Children
What Are The Parts Of Outdoor Rides?
Different outdoor rides have various parts. The parts used for outdoor rides depend on their design, working principle, users, and the place they would be used.
In this section, we will look at some major parts of a few outdoor rides.
Roller Coaster
The roller coaster has the following major parts:
- roller coaster
- roller coaster train
- braking system
- lifting system
- propulsion system
- electrical system
Frisbee rides
This outdoor ride just like most rides have both mechanical and electrical parts. Some of the mechanical components of the Frisbee ride are:
- Air compressor
- Pneumatic cylinder
- Motor
- Flange
- Deep groove bearing
- Bearing roller
- Chicken leg shoulder
- Slewing bearing
The electrical parts of the Frisbee ride include the following:
- Voltmeter
- Power distribution channel
- Ammeter
- Transformer
- AC contractor
- Electric bell
- Communication connector
- Frequency converter
- Electric bell
- Circuit breaker
Ferris wheel
This outdoor ride is mainly made up of:
- wheel
- gondola – a structure on which riders sit
- motor
- roulette structure
- control room
- support structure
- platform
Are Outdoor Rides Safe?
Outdoor rides are safe for riding. Credible manufacturers design and produce outdoor rides with the safety of the riders in mind. They do this by building safety equipment into the rides.
Some of the popular safety equipment used in outdoor rides include:
- safety belts
- emergency brakes
- locking doors
- fire extinguishers
- side walls
To get a safe outdoor ride, always make sure you buy from credible and experienced manufacturers. Credible manufacturers use quality materials, best technology and professional engineers to manufacture their outdoor rides. They also conduct proper testing of the outdoor rides after production. This helps them to produce super safe outdoor rides.
What Factors Should I Consider When Choosing Outdoor Rides?
A lot of factors should be considered when choosing outdoor rides for your park business. Below are the top factors you need to look at:
- Determine the needs of your outdoor ride business needs
Determine the needs of your outdoor ride business by conducting a research. In your research, you need to determine the following;
- where you want to use the ride:
Determine whether you will use the outdoor ride on an amusement park, theme park, garden tour, historical sites, tourist sites, family park, etc.
- the exact location you want to set up your ride business.
After you decide on the type of park or site you want to use for your ride business, determine the exact location in your city you want to set up your outdoor ride.
Check the surroundings to see if it’s a good place to set up your outdoor rides. Determine the available space for your ride. This will give you an idea about the type and size of outdoor ride to go in for.
- the type of outdoor ride you want
- the landscape
- the demand for the outdoor ride
- expected number of visitors
- competition for your chosen outdoor ride
- Estimated budget for your outdoor ride.
Determine the amount of money you want to use to buy the outdoor ride.
- The credibility of the manufacturer.
Go in for a manufacturer with at least 10 years experience that has a track record of producing quality and safe outdoor rides.
- Safety of the ride
Make sure the ride has inbuilt safety features. Also, verify if the ride is manufactured with quality materials like steel, aluminum, fiber reinforced plastic.
- Warranty.
Choose a manufacturer that offers at least 1 year warranty for their outdoor rides.
What Factors Determine The Price Of Outdoor Rides?
A number of factors determine the cost of outdoor rides. But the most popular factors that hugely determine the price of outdoor rides are listed below:
Type of outdoor ride
One of the major factors that determine the cost of outdoor rides is the type of ride. The various types of outdoor rides have different prices.
For example, the price of a roller may be different from a Ferris wheel or pendulum ride. This is because they have different design, parts, materials, size and function.
Design of outdoor ride
The design of outdoor ride affects it’s cost Outdoor rides with complex designs costs more than those having much simple designs.
Quality of materials
The quality of materials used for building outdoor rides greatly determines its cost. Outdoor rides built with high quality materials like steel and fiber reinforced plastic costs more than those built with low quality materials.
Manufacturer
Manufacturers have a massive impact on the cost of outdoor rides. The cost of outdoor rides from credible and big manufacturers mostly costs more.
Big outdoor ride manufacturers use the best technology, quality materials and experts for their manufacturing. This increases the production cost and the final cost of outdoor rides.
Optional features
Outdoor rides with optional features come with additional cost.
How Can I Buy An Outdoor Ride?
Decide on the outdoor ride you want based on your market research.
Search for “outdoor ride manufacturers” on Google or Bing.
Go through the website of manufacturers that appear on the search results.
Look for manufacturers:
- with at least 10 years experience.
- with a high class equipment for manufacturing
- that use quality materials like steel, fiber reinforced glass, aluminum.
- having a professional team of engineers, designers and quality officers.
- having recognized outdoor ride certifications.
- that use high quality standards for their production.
- that grant warranty
- that offer after sale services like installation, staff training.
- that offers flexible payment and smooth shipping of outdoor rides
Shortlist all manufactures that possess the above qualities.
Send a quote request to these manufacturers.
When you receive the quotes from the shortlisted outdoor ride manufacturers, choose the manufacturer which meets your requirements and budget.
Send a notice to the manufacturer you choose so that they can begin the ride purchase process. Most credible manufacturers will let you sign a contract to capture all the relevant information about the outdoor ride – price, shipping method, payment method, warranty, etc.
Once you sign the contract, you will be asked to pay about 30% of the total outdoor ride amount. When the manufacturer receives this part payment, they will begin to manufacture the outdoor ride.
When the manufacturer finishes producing the ride, you will be notified to pay the remaining amount. Upon payment of full amount, the manufacturer will ship the outdoor ride to you.
A Carousel Outdoor ride
What Is The Minimum Set Of Outdoor Rides I Can Order?
Most outdoor ride manufacturers allow you to buy a minimum of 1 set of outdoor rides.
Does Outdoor Ride Manufacturers Grant Warranty?
Yes, credible outdoor ride manufacturers offer at least 1 year warranty on all rides purchased.
How Are Outdoor Rides Manufactured?
Manufacturers use different processes to produce different types of outdoor rides.
But most outdoor rides follow similar manufacturing processes. In this section, we will look at some of the popular processes used by most manufacturers in producing outdoor rides.
Design
Manufacturers begin their outdoor ride manufacturing with a design. To start the design process, variouses sketches or drawings of the ride are done. The best drawing is selected and developed into a final design by adding the right dimensions and tolerance.
Materials
The right materials for the outdoor ride is chosen depending on the specifications of the ride’s design.
Part production
The next step of outdoor ride manufacturing is the production of parts. The mechanical components are manufactured by cutting ride materials, welding and polishing. The electrical components are also produced during this stage.
Sometimes manufacturers purchase some parts from other manufacturers for their outdoor rides.
Inspection of parts
After parts production, manufacturers inspect the various parts to make sure they match the ride’s design. The tolerance, smoothness, and functionality of parts are inspected.
Assembling
The parts are assembled to form the outdoor ride.
Testing
After the assembling, the outdoor ride is tested to ensure it functions properly.
What’s The Difference Between China Outdoor Rides And European Outdoor Rides?
The major difference between China and European outdoor rides is the price of the rides. China outdoor rides are far cheaper than European outdoor rides.
When it comes to quality, China manufacturers offer equally quality outdoor rides as Europe. This is due to the massive boost in technology and ride manufacturing expertise in China.
Are China Outdoor Rides Safe?
China outdoor rides are safe because Chinese manufacturers use high quality materials and the best technology for manufacturing.
Also, China manufacturers use European and world recognized standards for manufacturing outdoor rides.
Credible China outdoor ride manufacturers like Sinorides have professional engineers who use the best industry practices to manufacture super safe outdoor rides.
China manufacturers build safety equipment like safety belts, emergency stops, fire extinguishers, etc into outdoor rides to make them safe for riding.
A lot of testing is done on manufactured outdoor rides before shipping to park owners. China manufacturers conduct no load, half load and full load testing on all outdoor rides. This helps them to rectify any abnormality on the ride, so that only safe and proper functioning rides are shipped to clients.
Can Outdoor Rides Be Customized?
Yes, Outdoor rides can be customized to meet your Park’s business needs. You can ask manufacturers to add unique features, colour, light, and music to your outdoor ride.
Customized Outdoor ride – Ferris wheel
Where Can I buy Outdoor Rides?
There are basically four places you can buy outdoor rides. We will look at these places in this section.
Outdoor rides directory
You can buy outdoor rides from outdoor ride directories. A number of credible manufacturers put their rides on outdoor ride directory. Search the keyword “outdoor ride directory” on Google or Bing, you will find different outdoor rides from manufacturers. You can get in touch with the manufacturer of a ride you like on the directory.
Local outdoor ride park owners
If you are looking to buy quality outdoor rides, one of the best places to go to is local park owners who already have the type of outdoor ride you want. Local park owners can guide you buy the good rides for your park business. They can give you valuable information to help you make a good purchase decision.
Outdoor ride exhibition
Another good place for buying outdoor rides is at exhibitions. During exhibitions, credible outdoor ride manufacturers come to show their rides. You can speak to a number outdoor ride manufacturers during exhibitions and discuss your ride’s requirements with them.
They can be of good help to buy the right outdoor rides. After the exhibition, you can visit the manufacturer’s factory to inspect some other rides they have.
How Are Outdoor Rides Installed?
Outdoor rides can be installed by the manufacturer or professional engineers who have great experience in the ride’s installation.
If you want the manufacturer to install your outdoor rides, you need to note the following:
The manufacturer will send professional engineers to your country to do the installation.
You need to pay for their tickets, provide accommodation and offer them a vehicle to make their movements easier. You need to also provide a translator for the installation team if they don’t speak your official language. You are also to pay a daily allowance for each member of the installation team.
Aside from these, you need to adequately prepare the site for the installation before the installation team arrives.
You need to make sure the site is cleared and levelled to make installation easier and faster. Make available all the materials, equipment and personnel needed for the installation.
Ensure there is a reliable power supply and water on the installation site.
Also, make the manuals, drawings and all important documents for the ride available before installation begins.
Train personnel who will help with the installation before the manufacturer’s team arrives.
Unboxing Outdoor Ride Parts for Installation
Installation of Outdoor Ride
How Are Outdoor Rides Maintained?
To make your outdoor ride last and perform efficiently, you need to conduct regular maintenance on the rides. To achieve this, you need to create a maintenance plan to guide your maintenance activities.
A maintenance plan basically consists of the specific maintenance activities for the ride, the maintenance procedures, and the time for the maintenance. Depending on the type of maintenance and the type of ride, maintenance can be done daily, weekly, monthly and yearly.
All maintenance activities should be done by trained and professional technicians. The manufacturer’s maintenance manual should be strictly followed for maintenance. Find out from the manufacturer how to maintain the outdoor ride.
Below are some tips for maintaining your outdoor ride.
- Clean the ride with a clean duster.
- Wash the ride with pressurized water to clean thick dirt, stains and oily substance. You can use soapy water to clean the body of outdoor rides. Make sure all electrical and sensitive components are covered when washing with water.
- Inspect parts regularly for any faulty parts. Faulty or damaged parts should be replaced immediately.
- During the ride’s operation, check for any abnormality or unusual sounds. Stop the outdoor ride and correct any abnormality you find.
What Should You Do When Your Outdoor Ride Breaks Down?
Breakdowns are inevitable in the operation of outdoor rides no matter how quality your outdoor rides. But with proper maintenance and care for your rides, you can reduce the frequency of rides drastically.
With that said, you need to adequately prepare for breakdowns. How? You need to the following when your outdoor ride breaks down:
- Immediately stop the ride.
- Let passengers on the ride get down and convey them to a safe place.
- Put off the power supply to the ride.
- Troubleshoot the ride to find out the cause of the breakdown. Note, only professional technicians should do troubleshooting.
- When the fault is detected, let professional technicians fix it. If the fault is more complex, contact the manufacturer for assistance.
How Can Outdoor Rides Be Made Safe?
To ensure maximum safety of the outdoor ride, you need to do the following:
- Ensure only qualified professionals install the outdoor rides. You can either let the manufacturer install the ride or hire professional engineers to do the installation.
- Train all operators and technicians who will work on the ride. Always make sure qualified people operate and maintain the ride.
- The outdoor rides should be inspected and maintained frequently. When any abnormality is detected, immediately stop the ride and fix it. Replace all faulty parts immediately.
- Ensure the safety equipment on the outdoor ride is working always.
- Visitors should only ride the outdoor ride under the supervision of professional ride operators or managers.
- Follow the standard operation procedures of the manufacturer when operating the ride.
What Safety Measures Should Be Taken When Riding Outdoor Rides?
The following safety measures should be followed when riding the outdoor ride for maximum safety.
- All riders must wear appropriate personal protective equipment before jumping onto the outdoor ride.
- Follow age, weight and height restrictions given by the manufacturer.
- Depending on the type of outdoor ride, children below 7 years should be guided by an adult of at least 14 years when riding.
- Only people with good health conditions should ride the outdoor ride. People with heart problems and those who recently had surgery should not be allowed to be on the outdoor ride.
- Riders should diligently follow instructions from the ride’s operator and park manager. Passengers should only get on to the ride when they are asked by the ride’s supervisor or operators.
What Should I Look For When Checking The Quality Of Outdoor Rides?
Quality checks on outdoor rides is very technical and requires a professional quality team.
You can hire third parties that offer professional quality check services to help you with this.
Credible manufacturers like Sinorides help you with this. Sinorides can also train your technicians to enable them conduct quality checks on your rides professionally.
Checking the quality of outdoor rides involved four main areas. Below are the four main things you need to inspect when checking your ride’s quality.
Design of the outdoor ride
Here, the quality inspection team checks the design of the outdoor ride to make sure it is practical, safe and meets both local and international standards.
Materials used for manufacturing the ride
The inspection team checks the materials used for building the outdoor ride. Quality outdoor rides are built with materials like steel, fiber reinforced glass, and aluminum.
Inspection of the ride’s components
The quality inspection team also inspects the various parts of the ride to make sure they are manufactured according to the design of the ride. It also finds out if the parts are fully functional and have no faults.
Testing of the ride
Last but not least, the quality team tests the ride to ensure it operates as required. The team conducts a no load, half load and full load tests on the ride.
What Can I Do To Lower The Repair And Maintenance Cost Of Outdoor Rides?
Lowering maintenance and repair cost is one of the best ways to make your park business very profitable. But how do you achieve that? Below are good tips to help you do that.
Professional installation
If you want to reduce breakdowns and repair cost, you need to get it right at the onset. How? By professionally installing your outdoor rides.
Always let professional engineers or your manufacturer to install your outdoor rides. This will help reduce the tendency of your machines breaking down often. This also means you are going to spend less on repairs and maintenance.
Regular Maintenance
The second thing you need to do is to conduct regular maintenance. Don’t wait for the outdoor ride to break down before you maintain it. Conduct daily, weekly and monthly maintenance on your ride to reduce major breakdowns.
Warranty
Always go in for an outdoor ride that has at least one year warranty. This will save you a lot of money since you won’t need to pay for parts that become faulty within the warranty period.
Trained Operators
Make sure only trained and certified operators work on the outdoor ride to prevent damages on the ride.
How Do Manufacturers Package Outdoor Rides Before Shipping?
Manufacturers wrap outdoor rides in high-quality plastics and pack sensitive parts in wooden boxes.
