Skywheelrider
Thursday, September 25, 2003 6:05:33 AM
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Originally posted by HUSSRAINBOW

oooh wish I could ride one, don't complain people, we don't even have one in Australia

You had one in Australia about five years ago or so. The one that Crown Amusements owned was sold to a gentleman who had it completely refurbished and sent to Australia where it toured for 6-8 months or so, then he realized what it took to keep the ride going (maintainance wise) and decided to sell it. It was shipped back to the United States where it sat at the Chance Rides facility in Witchita, Kansas until Midwest Midways bought it and now tour with it. Was painted like this: blue towers, trailer, boom, and truss rods; silver bull wheel; white rim rails, and magenta seats. Very nice, that is the same colour scheme it was with Crown the last few years they had it. Still is that way with Midwest Midways. There are some photos with it included in the Midwest Midways gallery on the main MCW site. It was always one of the quietest and smoothest Sky Wheel's I ever rode or saw. I do have some photos and video of it when Crown Amusements still had it, from the mid-1990's. I still miss it, lol. [:)]
"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." -- Mark Twain
Midway Provydr
Friday, September 26, 2003 6:35:53 AM
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A Sky Wheel is very difficult to move, and can be a maintainence nightmare. And a lot of guys do not want to deal with it. Sky Wheels do very well here in the Midwest, but in other parts of the country, not so well. Yes it is attractive to have on a midway, but in some spots, being that it is difficult to set-up/tear down/maintain, and if hardly anyone rides it, well, I think you see where I am going. And a lot of shows are going to more of the one trailer rides, which is where rides like the Eli Wheel's come in real nice. The Eli Signature wheel is 65' tall, yes, about 13 1/2' shorter than the Sky Wheel, but still tall enough to attract attention, and only one trailer too. See what I mean? But still, the Sky Wheel has always been, still is, and always will be THE KING OF THE MIDWAY!




Thanks for the info chris, i didnt know that it took so much work to maintain it, i wish there was a way to make easier to maintain, its too much of a fair centerpiece for it to dissapear as it has. Well shiftgreen, i guess this is another year that we wont be seeing it at the NC State Fair
gruelurks
Friday, September 26, 2003 7:13:02 AM
I also have some pretty decent pics of McDonagh's SW at webshots as well.
McDonagh's Sky Wheel 
britt
  •  britt
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  • Operations Foreman
Friday, September 26, 2003 6:38:53 PM
go over to goldsboro nc to the wayne county fair. goes thru oct 4. ride powers great american skywheel. smoothest one i have ever been on and one of the best maintained. one of the top fairs in the state.
Steve F.
Saturday, September 27, 2003 3:16:44 AM
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Originally posted by Skywheelrider

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Originally posted by Steve F.

Whatever became of that "Turbolite Skywheel"? I remember someone on here was gabbing about a show which was reconditioning their skywheel with programed turbolite strips. What ever became of that, it sounds really neat.

That was McDonagh. They deterimined that it was easier to go with the neon than turbo lights. Yes it would have been cool, but Matt McDonagh said the neon was easier and less costly. [:)]




Ohh thats a real shame. It would have given the American classic a touch of Europe.
shiftgreen
Saturday, September 27, 2003 4:34:56 PM
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Posted - 09/26/2003 : 10:38:53 PM
go over to goldsboro nc to the wayne county fair. goes thru oct 4. ride powers great american skywheel. smoothest one i have ever been on and one of the best maintained. one of the top fairs in the state.



kewl, I might just do that, even though it will not be the same as seeing it at my own fair, but I guess I have no choice.
Thnx for the info.
BAZOOKIE
Saturday, September 27, 2003 4:58:21 PM
http://members.rogers.com/threefriends/  some kind of a reverse "sky wheel". I forget the name of the show but they had some other old stuff too.[:)]



Chris "Bazookie"
Ontario, Canada
“We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles.”
― Thomas A. Edison
swooper
Saturday, September 27, 2003 5:22:58 PM
thats a rampage circa 1970 made by grover c. watkins co. not too many made. but i have somewhere a picture of a really strange one that was in columbia. it has a main axle like a skywheel but in stead of two wheels on each end the center portion was a triangle with 3 wheels. dont know anything about who made it.
Pinetar
  •  Pinetar
  • 87.34% (Honored)
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Saturday, September 27, 2003 5:23:46 PM
I just found 2 old Polaroid shots of a Skywheel.50's, b&w, poor quality that I will be posting later. Most likely Wades.
UserPostedImage
BAZOOKIE
Saturday, September 27, 2003 6:16:00 PM
Definetly from the 70's!! Most of the stuff on this show was rusty. They had a 1001 Nachts, which made a horrible grinding sound!! To bad, cause that was probably their only good piece. As you can see in the pic they have an old sky diver too.



Chris "Bazookie"
Ontario, Canada
“We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles.”
― Thomas A. Edison
BAZOOKIE
Saturday, September 27, 2003 6:22:52 PM
Definetly from the 70's!! Most of the stuff on this show was rusty. They had a 1001 Nachts, which made a horrible grinding sound!! To bad, cause that was probably their only good piece. As you can see in the pic they have an old sky diver too.



Chris "Bazookie"
Ontario, Canada
“We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles.”
― Thomas A. Edison
Steve F.
Saturday, September 27, 2003 11:46:51 PM
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quote:


Originally posted by swooper

thats a rampage circa 1970 made by grover c. watkins co. not too many made. but i have somewhere a picture of a really strange one that was in columbia. it has a main axle like a skywheel but in stead of two wheels on each end the center portion was a triangle with 3 wheels. dont know anything about who made it.




Yeah Carousel Mag printed a photo of it in the early 90s but they didn't mention any useful details about it.
SaraAB
Monday, September 29, 2003 1:02:00 PM
there is a skywheel for sale on www.amusementsofbuffalo.com , ill leave it to skywheelrider to explain the story on that one
Bill P
  •  Bill P
  • 81.72% (Honored)
  • Operations Foreman
Monday, September 29, 2003 5:31:08 PM
That SkyWheel Amusements of Buffalo has been advertising might be the green one J&J used to have. I know J&J ended up with a Mulligan Wheel that A of B had to have rebuilt. J&J's green Skywheel disappeared at the same time and A of B started advertising a SkyWheel then.
I also saw pictures once of A of B with Corky Powers Skywheel booked in. That may have been at Stoenboro,PA a few years back.
Pinetar
  •  Pinetar
  • 87.34% (Honored)
  • Operations Foreman
Monday, September 29, 2003 5:48:44 PM
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I also saw pictures once of A of B with Corky Powers Skywheel booked in. That may have been at Stoenboro,PA a few years back.



I played Stoneboro, it sure is not a Skywheel spot. Too small. I use to go there when Carl Pauline would book in for Fred Nolan. Carl had a generator that ran full rpm around 1500 rpm's. I think Gooding bought it from him. I was old enough to enjoy the girl show.
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