Ride Length 20m (Structure to Structure) using a
25m 19x7
strand cable
Using 19x7 cable reduces wear on the trolley wheels, reduces
noise, and creates a smoother ride. If your supplier
has provided 7x7 or 7x19 cable you will notice the increased
noise, regular trolley parts replacement and vibrations
travelling down the chain to the seat.
Car Tyres clamped at both ends stop the trolley hitting the
structures or hardware. Due to the hard nature of using a
tyre over a spring, the ride speed is very gentle at this
installation.
A 2m long 8mm Chain Link connects the Rubber Seat to the Trolley, this is strong enough for any single person, and can even handle multiple uses as it is designed to be left unattended, and the moment you turn your back you can bet that children will try and get as many as possible on the seat, they will
also stand on it (hence the 2m chain length, so that even standing they can not become injured from the trolley or cable).
The mounting platform has ridges on
the ramp to prvent slipping when wet, and has a railing around
the back of it to prevent users falling off the back of the
platform. It is important to ensure that the seat can't
arc up and hit the railing or any of the support structures.
You also need to ensure that legs hanging off the seat will also
not impact againt any structures. The tyre brakes on this
installation have been position to avoid any impact.
The gradient of the cable is very gentle on this ride as it
is using car tyres rather than a spring brake that can absorb
extra speed. It is also using just a turnbuckle to tension
it rather than drum, again leaving a lot more sag on the cable
than a faster ride.
Remember if you are making a faster ride that you still need
to come under the maximum speed stipulated in the EN1176:4, and
ensure that the braking is safe and the user doesn't travel too
high at the end once the trolley stops.
There are five main variables that need to be adjusted to create
a safe zip wire ride.
These are length of ride, start height,
gradient, tension and speed, increasing any of these will change
the safety of the ride. It is a fine balancing act if you
increase one, reducing another to compensate.
The greater the tension, the less sag in the cable and the
greater the speed.
The longer the length the harder to achieve high tension.
The start height is always higher than the end height (on
level ground), and will be set by the length of the ride and the
tension that will be achieved.
The gradient should never be extreme, a slight gradient with
great tension is always preferable as this will allow greater
control of speed, and prevent any unnecessary fall heights.
The speed of the ride needs to kept under control so the user
is not thrown off the ride at the end, the trolley should not
exceed 7 m/s (approximately 15 mph)
A 2m long 8mm Chain Link connects the Rubber Seat to the Trolley, this is strong enough for any single person, and can even handle multiple uses as it is designed to be left unattended, and the moment you turn your back you can bet that children will try and get as many as possible on the seat, they will
also stand on it (hence the 2m chain length, so that even standing they can not become injured from the trolley or cable).
There are five main variables that need to be adjusted to create
a safe zip wire ride.