Amusement parks are an age-old form of entertainment and are located all across the United States. A popular trend among amusement parks is to sell and relocate rides from one park to another. This is beneficial for all parties involved as it’s much less expensive than acquiring brand new rides, but it still provides fun for park goers.
When you’re considering moving and relocating your amusement park rides, there are a few things to prepare and plan for. Below are a few tips to make relocating your rides as smooth as possible.
Catalog Everything
When an amusement or theme park ride is dismantled, there are a lot of parts and pieces to keep up with. Make sure you have a fool-proof system for keeping everything organized as screws are removed and pieces are taken down. This should be planned far in advance of moving day.
We recommend utilizing more than duct tape and permanent marker to label your pieces. Take advantage of a spreadsheet system, a sturdy, compartmentalized organizing systems for screw, bolts, and clear markings on your ride’s pieces, and make sure every single piece removed from the ride is labeled to make relocation and reconstruction easier.
When cataloging parts, especially the smaller nuts and bolts of your rides, it is best to assign only one or just a few people with this task. The fewer hands that these small pieces pass through, the less likely that parts will go missing. And the last thing you want when trying to reassemble your rides is to realize you don’t have the equipment you need to do so.
Remove Façades
When it comes time to move your amusement park rides, the first thing that needs to be moved is the façade. These pieces are usually plastic or metal and can be easily removed by your contractor. The façades of your rides will not need to be placed on jacks or cribbing like other parts of your structures. Instead, they can usually be stacked against one another on a truck or trailer and moved that way.
Invest in Extra Parts
No matter how prepared and organized you are, there is always a chance that things will get lost during a move, especially if you’re dismantling a number of your rides. If possible, make sure you’ve got a backup supply of screws, nuts, bolts, and other pieces that keep your rides together. Because these pieces are small, it’s easy—and almost expected—for a few of them to get dropped or lost during the transition. When the time comes to reassemble your rides, you won’t have to stop the process because you don’t have the parts you need. Keep a backup supply on hand, and you’ll be better prepared to make the reconstruction process as smooth as possible.
Stabilize and Shore Up if Necessary
Amusement parks have been around for ages. And in some cases, these parks are built on older wooden piers. If this is the case, or if your park is on another type of raised platform, you want to make sure your contractor has reinforced the platform to account for the extra weight of their equipment.
Before the project goes underway, have your contractor come out to your location to scope things out. They of course will look at the rides you’re wanting moved, but you’ll want to make sure they pay special attention if your park is located on a pier. With tons of extra equipment rolling over old wood, they can stabilize under your boardwalk to ensure absolute safety during your project.
Fencing and Landscaping
Your contractor will need clear and easy access to your rides in order to dismantle and remove them. This means you’ll need to ensure beforehand that anything blocking the path to your rides is cleared. Fencing will need to be taken up and moved. And if you’ve got landscaping, you need to determine if shrubs, trees, etc., are worth salvaging or if they simply need to be disposed of. This is something that might seem low on the list of priorities, but if not taken care of before moving day, it will significantly slow down your project, so don’t forget about this step!
Conclusion
Amusement park rides are truly a piece of Americana. Regardless of when and where you grew up, these rides are symbols of fun and hold memories for many of us. Hiring a professional contractor to take care of moving and relocating your amusement park rides preserves these memories and, on the business end, saves you a ton of money in the long run. Your rides can be up and running in almost no time when you choose a contractor with experience, know-how, and the equipment to get the job done.
