Giant Wheel (Hersheypark)

Giant Wheel was an Intamin-supplied double Ferris wheel that operated at Hersheypark between 1973 and 2004.^[1]

The entire structure was 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.^{[citation needed]}

The ride could handle large crowds, and had a capacity of 2,000 persons per hour.^{[citation needed]}

In its last two years of operation it was sponsored by Giant Food Stores.^{[citation needed]}

References

• Jacques, Charles J. (1997). Hersheypark: The Sweetness of Success. Amusement Park Journal. ISBN 9780961439217.