im only half an hour into the video but i can already tell how much of a help this will be to so many people trying to get into the industry. so thank you for taking the time to produce an entire hour video.
As a ride operator. I have seen half the things that showed up. As soon as I saw that photo eye I knew exactly what ride it came off of too. But I never knew how big they were. Im also hoping that after college that I can work as a mechanic
It’s rare but some parks higher seasonal mechanics that pick up the grunt work like greasing. Still good to learn if there is any opportunity out there
@@ryantheridemechanic I’ve been told by some mechanics here that in the summer they occasionally bring in people with no experience and train them on everything so they can help out in the summer. I was told that they look for ride ops so I am going to look into that for sure
You hit the nail on the head in all aspects... Anyone who wants to pursue this field needs to listen and take notes. One thing I always say too is SAFETY FIRST....
Great video! I already work at a big park in central Florida doing other things but have always wanted to do this specific thing , thanks for all the information I'm going to give it a shot and apply one day soon.
I always said that if my current career goes down the tubes I would love to become a ride mechanic. Hersheypark is 20 minutes away. I used to be a ride operator there for a few years and loved it. But now I am in forestry and milling of lumber.
Good to know, next year I will be able to be a ride op, can you pick the rides you operate at Hershey as I heard some rides are easier to operate than others. I’ve been at the park almost all days of the season so I know the area well. Do rides like Fahrenheit have a way easier job capacity wise or a ride like skyrush or great bear easier due to throughput? Just wonder
If you're in the San Francisco/San Jose/Bay Area, California's Great America is really strapped for ride mechanics and have happily taken people who've been ops and do lots of on the job training. Lots of them are my friends and they do a really good job. Need vehicle maintenance experience? No problem, they've got the antique cars to train you on. Electrical? Plenty of minor rides to train on. They have a decently open door.
Thank you Ryan! I'll be honest, I've never seen safety wire pliers before in my entire life....and I work in equipment repair haha. Always learning something new!
This is a great video, I currently work as an electrician at an amusement park working on, designing, and implementing control systems and upgrades. For a lot of the new guys I typically recommend looking up SEW breaks and understanding how they work for motors. Being able to even make a simple start stop system with relays or in ladder logic on paper is something super impressive to the guys doing interviews. It shows you really want to or do understand these systems because at the end of the day they’re just a bunch of fancy switches
However as he stated we typically do this with the older rides like the Standard Arrow rides that S&S typically doesn’t want to help with. Changing anything in a program is something that takes months, it’s not something everyone will do.
That's insanely helpful advice with the SEW brakes. Go figure I was an electrician/mechanic at a small park for a year before COVID and I'm looking to get back into it. My current job is in a railroad shop and those are the same brakes that are on our electric screw jacks for picking up rail cars and locomotives.
I absolutely loved this!! I knew a few of the parts/tools, but had no clue about a lot of the specifics and terminology. Pretty much whenever you brought up a bolt/bearing/etc, I did a bit of research on that specific bolt/bearing, and then looked into a few of the other common types. I'm an engineering student, so it's pretty fun getting a more practical side to all of this. It took me like 4 hours to get through the video lol, but it was actually really fun and I learned so so much. Thank you!! Side note: I'll admit, I can completely relate to the whole wanting to be a coaster designer thing. I'm definitely chasing that, and though more recently I feel like I've been getting a bit closer, I'm also accepting that it might not happen. Whatever happens though, I think I'll always hold the art form close to my heart and try to continue pushing it's boundaries. It's such a young art form and I feel like there's so much potential for improvement and knowledge to be uncovered, especially with aesthetics/big picture view and flow/specific shaping. I think it has a really bright future and I just can't wait to see it mature and reach that next level, with or without me :)
As a project manager the biggest thing I look for is safety practices as well. Seen too much scary stuff on other job sites and have had structural piping dropped on my head (obviously wearing a hardhat that saved my life). Now I work primarily in safety and inspections but if I'm hiring a mechanic especially a lead mechanic I want to make sure they are familiar with and habitual with safety protocols. Especially for insurance reasons if someone's working on a prototype on the shop, I want to know that they won't get complacent when working with equipment that has potential energy in the system wether thats mechanical, gravity, electrical, etc. great video though I find myself watching these out of curiosity as someone who's worked/works adjacent to people in this field. Makes me feel reassured to know I have a good basic understanding of the more intricate workings of the rides. Thanks for uploading these I look forward to more.
I have no experience with mechanic stuff but I got 75-80% right of the box. I feel a little proud. Some things I guessed, and Guessed wrong. Very informative :).
I work at six flags great America, I am a mechanic for all their B&M like raging bull, OG Batman the ride, Superman flying coaster and xflight. Love the job so much, been there 4 years and wouldn’t trade it at all. I ride those coasters as my morning coffee
Great and helpful video! I found that having a multi trade job like lift (elevator) engineering helped as you can explain the similarities working with control, fluid and power systems. A lot of the big parks in the UK seem to just want electricians but pay less than what an electrician could earn. After my short stints of working in an amusement park and cable car I always ended up back in the lift industry as the hours and working days can be very demanding/unsociable, like you said. I enjoyed my cable car interview though, we sat in a gondola 300ft up going through mechanical and hydraulic drawings.
I was at a park as a red operator where the mechanic had to wear a harness and use a special cart so they could walk the track for inspection. Have you heard of this? Did you have to do it? How do they inspect tracks and rides that are so tall?
All depends on the park and the ride. Some parks require tracks to be physically walked weekly like your. Some are fine with a visual inspection. Everyone is different. Manufacture usually says to inspect. Park has to determine what’s the best way to inspect it. And if the insurance will be ok with it.
I learned a lot about the bolts I've been using for years but didn't know wtf they were called. Knew more than I thought I did on that hellbox! Now I wanna dig through a bigger one. I hadn't considered this field at first but this really seems like the perfect job for me, especially as a professional troubleshooter lol
@@ryantheridemechanic I'm not looking for much pay, but I definitely want to be able to be of assistance to my subordinates as someone overseeing installation and construction of prototype rides, and assist wherever needed, not as a lead, but to at least be able to assist and be competent in doing so.
I’m so glad I found your channel because I love listening to you talk and I’ve really started to understand parts of Coasters such as lsms and lims which I didn’t understand before. Thank You!
Thank you so much!! Hopefully it’s useful. If you ever interview just remember they want someone who is open to learning and not afraid to speak up and try something.
This is eerily targeted towards me. I work as a overnight power washer at Kalahari water park located in Texas. I’m also going to school for automotive engineering, and I was planning to apply for the ride mechanic position that they offer here. Thank you so much! Your video really motivated me to start as soon as possible (I need to get my wiring diagram reading better tho)
That’s great. As far as reading, spend time trying to understand what the circuit does rather than the symbol.. symbols change from drawing to drawing so you need to know how to follow the power to get to the “coil”
This makes me want to actually try applying at an area park. The idea of mechanic usually seems intimidating as I don't know a great deal but willing to learn and grow.
The explanation of the partially threaded vs fully threaded bolt stretch is something that I personally hadn't heard expressed verbally in that way before... I don't mean that as a right/wrong comment but just I haven't heard it put that way.... just out of curiosity are 'torque to yeld' bolts common on the newer rides , if so are they marked to flag them as pretty much a one shot deal.... and mostly for my amusement have you tried to explain why it isn't really a good idea to reuse them...I have people frequently think you're trying to take advantage of them... Thx for the good In depth video 👍
I’m not sure if they are all torque to yield but I know a lot are. Most manufacturers specify NOT to reuse hardware. Things that can be reused are typically called out for NDT as well.
So what made you stop? I'll be honest, it was the pay for me. It's hard to take $60k a year when the industrial maintenance is currently pushing $80-100k
Cycle shop is retirement for ride mechanics, its the best place to be!!! I worked at magic mountains cycle shop, took me 7 years to get there, but got me whwre i am today! Now i rebuild giant dipper!!!
It’s great of the park has one but most parks do not. Seems to be part of the size of the park. My park only had about 6 rollercoaster so we did not have a cycle shop. I’m guessing cedar point also has one being about as big a Magic Mountain. Were all of your parks in California?
My Dad's a Television repairman. He has an awesome set of tools. I can fix it. - Paraphrasing Jeff Spicoli, Fast Times at Ridgemont High lol Very interesting video btw.
My job runs parallel in the "knowing a little of everything and enough to be productive" and the whole "knowing what to do when you basically don't know what to do" way of thinking. I think these "Renaissance man" type jobs that require hands on experience are so valuable in today's world. The knowledge I sought out when I was much younger has given me a leg up on my peers, whether at work or just dealing with home maintenance. What was the biggest hurdle you overcame as a ride mechanic? Anything that was particularly difficult to learn, fix? Any procedure that you struggled to get right? Any repair that seemed hopeless and then *whamo* the light comes at the end of the tunnel? How would you pull a tapered race if a puller was unavailable? I've had that happen to me on some smaller tapered bearings(on a lawn mower) and that was a pain in the butt. Do you have specific memories of improvising and thinking on your toes to make a repair? Love your content my friend!!!!
Thank you! Leaning electrical logic I woud say was the biggest hurdle. Most chose not to learn it and heavily relied on people like myself that did know it. Mechanical, building a 50% ring reducer was very hard. Getting all the motion plates lined up and the the little sleeves installed without it coming apart. Blind races, we normally just replace so a super dirty shortcut is to weld a pice of flat stock across the j side and then hammer the flatbar out. About the them your ready to hammer, the heat has left the race and is now in the boot making the tolerance a little wider.
@@ryantheridemechanic awesome, that's one I've been waiting for. I manage an operation that looks very well run and professional from the outside but I've had so many moments of "if people only knew how human we really are" it can make it feel like a small company that's just "finding a way to make everything work" Not to say things are cobbled together but there are definitely moments where I've felt like "we are pro's but this feels a little MacGyver" 😂😂
You're so mean when you say "get out my shop" 😭😂 Actually surprised myself with what I managed to get right - deffo didn't have the terminology (except the washer lmao), but I've 0 experience in rides beyond being an enthusiast 🤷♂️ Super interesting video though! Thanks for all the detail, and running through the hellbox test!
Greetings from the Netherlands. This is video helped me so much i instantly subscribed to your channel, I want to be a ride mechanic but do you think there is a big difference between parks frok the US and the Netherlands?
Not at all. It’s the same equipment, mostly made in the Netherlands haha. I can literally work on rides anywhere in the world. Just minor differences on how they start up and what the control system does. That is park influenced.
Thank you I love this I’m working on getting my AA in electrical engineering to help my resume, and I’m currently looking to work as a ride operator at a theme park. Your videos are so helpful than you.
Holy God, on part test you just really remind me with my prof during engineering project exam. Basically he really ask to the minute detail "What is it? Why you use it instead another thing? What is the advantage and disadvantages of those thing." Like, I've never considered the choice of nut and bolt beyond what can I gather on local shop.
Yep. It’s designed to test not only if they know what it is but how much they know. I can’t have a mechanic trying to put a imperial bolt in a metric hole.
the only thing i got right was the lock out. Ive had to use those before :). i was relatively close to guessing the photo eyes, i knew it was a sensor of some sort but not sure, bearings i could identify, everything else i had no clue. Fun game tbh.
It’s funny i really don’t rank any rides. My favorites are just dependent on where I am that day. Or what I’m feeing like at the time. Everything is vey fluid to me.
I wish i would have went into this field.I was an auto tech for over 10yrs and got burnt out so i had to find another job.This career hadnt even dawned on me ,if i was a lil younger id prolly look jnto it,:being 41 my options are limited now
I am a high school senior, but by the end of this school year, I will have completed the majority of the classes for my first two years of college. How old must I be to take an internship with a company?
Amazing informative video, thank you. Im doing a mechanical engineering degree at university, do you think it would be better to get a career working for a manufacturer than a park?
Both are equal. My personal thought is you get more experience with all sorts of thing by going with a company like cedar fair or six flags. But you do cutting edge with a manufacturer so it’s kind of a wash. But math is not my strong suit. :) Neither is spelling, or grammar hahaha!!
Paused before you go over answers. And here goes, how much of an ass am I gonna make of myself. 1, I really don't know, but I see pliers, and cutters 2 maybe something for a safety harness anchor? 3 heim joint 4 some sort of relay/timer/control? Runs on 24 V DC Normally open/closed means where the component is at rest are there 3 each 5 key switch 6 an optical/light sensor? 20 - 240 V? Not really? 7 tapered bearing race, I see a bit of wear, but ive seen worse not make any noise, or because you changed the bearing then the tapered bearing that probably went with that race you had 8 Sealed bearing, pro keeps dirt out, con not greaseable 9 Return spring 10 Grade 8 fine thread, grade 5 long shank coarse, grade 5 short shank coarse, an all thread bolt, an Allen head, and an oxide finish bolt Regular nut, a mechanical lock nut, and a nylock nut I usually put the rounded side up. I didn't get the electrical schematic one, but I didn't understand what you meant by drop out. Am I stupid? I feel quite confident that I got everything on the hydraulic diagram though. Would you hire me?
You did really good. I’d higher you assuming you sounded knowledgeable in person. A lot of an interview is just feeling out how the person handles them selves.
im only half an hour into the video but i can already tell how much of a help this will be to so many people trying to get into the industry. so thank you for taking the time to produce an entire hour video.
Your welcome
As a ride operator. I have seen half the things that showed up. As soon as I saw that photo eye I knew exactly what ride it came off of too. But I never knew how big they were. Im also hoping that after college that I can work as a mechanic
It’s rare but some parks higher seasonal mechanics that pick up the grunt work like greasing. Still good to learn if there is any opportunity out there
@@ryantheridemechanic I’ve been told by some mechanics here that in the summer they occasionally bring in people with no experience and train them on everything so they can help out in the summer. I was told that they look for ride ops so I am going to look into that for sure
@@Bogarttherideop get your foot in the door any way you can.
You hit the nail on the head in all aspects...
Anyone who wants to pursue this field needs to listen and take notes.
One thing I always say too is SAFETY FIRST....
Great video! I already work at a big park in central Florida doing other things but have always wanted to do this specific thing , thanks for all the information I'm going to give it a shot and apply one day soon.
Can’t hurt!
I always said that if my current career goes down the tubes I would love to become a ride mechanic. Hersheypark is 20 minutes away. I used to be a ride operator there for a few years and loved it. But now I am in forestry and milling of lumber.
Good to know, next year I will be able to be a ride op, can you pick the rides you operate at Hershey as I heard some rides are easier to operate than others. I’ve been at the park almost all days of the season so I know the area well. Do rides like Fahrenheit have a way easier job capacity wise or a ride like skyrush or great bear easier due to throughput? Just wonder
If you're in the San Francisco/San Jose/Bay Area, California's Great America is really strapped for ride mechanics and have happily taken people who've been ops and do lots of on the job training. Lots of them are my friends and they do a really good job. Need vehicle maintenance experience? No problem, they've got the antique cars to train you on. Electrical? Plenty of minor rides to train on. They have a decently open door.
That’s good to know! I’m sure a lot of commenters are flooding at that 🤔
Thank you Ryan! I'll be honest, I've never seen safety wire pliers before in my entire life....and I work in equipment repair haha. Always learning something new!
Glad to teach!
This is a great video, I currently work as an electrician at an amusement park working on, designing, and implementing control systems and upgrades. For a lot of the new guys I typically recommend looking up SEW breaks and understanding how they work for motors. Being able to even make a simple start stop system with relays or in ladder logic on paper is something super impressive to the guys doing interviews. It shows you really want to or do understand these systems because at the end of the day they’re just a bunch of fancy switches
However as he stated we typically do this with the older rides like the Standard Arrow rides that S&S typically doesn’t want to help with. Changing anything in a program is something that takes months, it’s not something everyone will do.
That's insanely helpful advice with the SEW brakes. Go figure I was an electrician/mechanic at a small park for a year before COVID and I'm looking to get back into it. My current job is in a railroad shop and those are the same brakes that are on our electric screw jacks for picking up rail cars and locomotives.
I absolutely loved this!! I knew a few of the parts/tools, but had no clue about a lot of the specifics and terminology. Pretty much whenever you brought up a bolt/bearing/etc, I did a bit of research on that specific bolt/bearing, and then looked into a few of the other common types. I'm an engineering student, so it's pretty fun getting a more practical side to all of this. It took me like 4 hours to get through the video lol, but it was actually really fun and I learned so so much. Thank you!!
Side note: I'll admit, I can completely relate to the whole wanting to be a coaster designer thing. I'm definitely chasing that, and though more recently I feel like I've been getting a bit closer, I'm also accepting that it might not happen. Whatever happens though, I think I'll always hold the art form close to my heart and try to continue pushing it's boundaries. It's such a young art form and I feel like there's so much potential for improvement and knowledge to be uncovered, especially with aesthetics/big picture view and flow/specific shaping. I think it has a really bright future and I just can't wait to see it mature and reach that next level, with or without me :)
As a project manager the biggest thing I look for is safety practices as well. Seen too much scary stuff on other job sites and have had structural piping dropped on my head (obviously wearing a hardhat that saved my life). Now I work primarily in safety and inspections but if I'm hiring a mechanic especially a lead mechanic I want to make sure they are familiar with and habitual with safety protocols. Especially for insurance reasons if someone's working on a prototype on the shop, I want to know that they won't get complacent when working with equipment that has potential energy in the system wether thats mechanical, gravity, electrical, etc. great video though I find myself watching these out of curiosity as someone who's worked/works adjacent to people in this field. Makes me feel reassured to know I have a good basic understanding of the more intricate workings of the rides. Thanks for uploading these I look forward to more.
Your welcome! Thanks for the feedback!
I have no experience with mechanic stuff but I got 75-80% right of the box. I feel a little proud. Some things I guessed, and Guessed wrong. Very informative :).
I work at six flags great America, I am a mechanic for all their B&M like raging bull, OG Batman the ride, Superman flying coaster and xflight. Love the job so much, been there 4 years and wouldn’t trade it at all. I ride those coasters as my morning coffee
So awesome! It’s a great job for sure!
I should have applied when the position was open. I'm a mechanic at Santa's Village Amusement park in East Dundee. Time to move to a larger park
Great and helpful video! I found that having a multi trade job like lift (elevator) engineering helped as you can explain the similarities working with control, fluid and power systems. A lot of the big parks in the UK seem to just want electricians but pay less than what an electrician could earn. After my short stints of working in an amusement park and cable car I always ended up back in the lift industry as the hours and working days can be very demanding/unsociable, like you said.
I enjoyed my cable car interview though, we sat in a gondola 300ft up going through mechanical and hydraulic drawings.
That’s neat. I alway wanted to interview people on top of the ride to see how they angle heights.
You would have hired me.
I could probably work in the gift shop or the front gate. HA
I make jokes when i have to evac.
Helps lower the tension.
Im a roller coaster mechanic because i love it. Pay isnt great.
Seems to be a universal thing. Not in it for the money or time off haha
Great advice for people seeking work in any field that's specialized
I was at a park as a red operator where the mechanic had to wear a harness and use a special cart so they could walk the track for inspection. Have you heard of this? Did you have to do it? How do they inspect tracks and rides that are so tall?
All depends on the park and the ride. Some parks require tracks to be physically walked weekly like your. Some are fine with a visual inspection. Everyone is different. Manufacture usually says to inspect. Park has to determine what’s the best way to inspect it. And if the insurance will be ok with it.
I learned a lot about the bolts I've been using for years but didn't know wtf they were called. Knew more than I thought I did on that hellbox! Now I wanna dig through a bigger one. I hadn't considered this field at first but this really seems like the perfect job for me, especially as a professional troubleshooter lol
Maybe a bright future. It doesn’t pay much but it’s very fun and rewarding.
@@ryantheridemechanic I'm not looking for much pay, but I definitely want to be able to be of assistance to my subordinates as someone overseeing installation and construction of prototype rides, and assist wherever needed, not as a lead, but to at least be able to assist and be competent in doing so.
I’m so glad I found your channel because I love listening to you talk and I’ve really started to understand parts of Coasters such as lsms and lims which I didn’t understand before. Thank You!
Awesome! Glad to have you!
Finished watching finally and watched two nore times, this is great advice and I'm hoping to put it to use soon. Thanks Ryan!
Thank you so much!! Hopefully it’s useful. If you ever interview just remember they want someone who is open to learning and not afraid to speak up and try something.
This is eerily targeted towards me. I work as a overnight power washer at Kalahari water park located in Texas.
I’m also going to school for automotive engineering, and I was planning to apply for the ride mechanic position that they offer here.
Thank you so much! Your video really motivated me to start as soon as possible (I need to get my wiring diagram reading better tho)
That’s great. As far as reading, spend time trying to understand what the circuit does rather than the symbol.. symbols change from drawing to drawing so you need to know how to follow the power to get to the “coil”
@@ryantheridemechanic great!, thank you so much for the advice!!!
I was an electrical and controls tech for a park that rhymes with bix bags. Was the best job i ever had I've been dying to go back for a year now.
No other job like it.
This makes me want to actually try applying at an area park. The idea of mechanic usually seems intimidating as I don't know a great deal but willing to learn and grow.
Worst case. They say no. Then ask why.
The explanation of the partially threaded vs fully threaded bolt stretch is something that I personally hadn't heard expressed verbally in that way before... I don't mean that as a right/wrong comment but just I haven't heard it put that way.... just out of curiosity are 'torque to yeld' bolts common on the newer rides , if so are they marked to flag them as pretty much a one shot deal.... and mostly for my amusement have you tried to explain why it isn't really a good idea to reuse them...I have people frequently think you're trying to take advantage of them...
Thx for the good In depth video 👍
I’m not sure if they are all torque to yield but I know a lot are. Most manufacturers specify NOT to reuse hardware. Things that can be reused are typically called out for NDT as well.
So what made you stop? I'll be honest, it was the pay for me. It's hard to take $60k a year when the industrial maintenance is currently pushing $80-100k
We relocate for my wife’s job to the Midwest and there’s no amusement parks within 2.5hrs of me. So that forced my hand for a change.
This was a great video!!! Thank you Ryan!
Your welcome
A lot of this is good advice for any job, specially the networking part.
Yes
Cycle shop is retirement for ride mechanics, its the best place to be!!! I worked at magic mountains cycle shop, took me 7 years to get there, but got me whwre i am today! Now i rebuild giant dipper!!!
It’s great of the park has one but most parks do not. Seems to be part of the size of the park. My park only had about 6 rollercoaster so we did not have a cycle shop. I’m guessing cedar point also has one being about as big a Magic Mountain. Were all of your parks in California?
I have Knotts Berry Farm, Magic Mountain. SeaWorld, Belmont and Circus Circus in Las Vegas under my belt. 😊
My Dad's a Television repairman. He has an awesome set of tools. I can fix it. - Paraphrasing Jeff Spicoli, Fast Times at Ridgemont High lol Very interesting video btw.
Thank you!
My job runs parallel in the "knowing a little of everything and enough to be productive" and the whole "knowing what to do when you basically don't know what to do" way of thinking. I think these "Renaissance man" type jobs that require hands on experience are so valuable in today's world. The knowledge I sought out when I was much younger has given me a leg up on my peers, whether at work or just dealing with home maintenance.
What was the biggest hurdle you overcame as a ride mechanic? Anything that was particularly difficult to learn, fix? Any procedure that you struggled to get right? Any repair that seemed hopeless and then *whamo* the light comes at the end of the tunnel?
How would you pull a tapered race if a puller was unavailable? I've had that happen to me on some smaller tapered bearings(on a lawn mower) and that was a pain in the butt.
Do you have specific memories of improvising and thinking on your toes to make a repair?
Love your content my friend!!!!
Thank you! Leaning electrical logic I woud say was the biggest hurdle. Most chose not to learn it and heavily relied on people like myself that did know it.
Mechanical, building a 50% ring reducer was very hard. Getting all the motion plates lined up and the the little sleeves installed without it coming apart.
Blind races, we normally just replace so a super dirty shortcut is to weld a pice of flat stock across the j side and then hammer the flatbar out. About the them your ready to hammer, the heat has left the race and is now in the boot making the tolerance a little wider.
I’m also putting another video together with some wtf moments I can recall.
@@ryantheridemechanic awesome, that's one I've been waiting for. I manage an operation that looks very well run and professional from the outside but I've had so many moments of "if people only knew how human we really are" it can make it feel like a small company that's just "finding a way to make everything work"
Not to say things are cobbled together but there are definitely moments where I've felt like "we are pro's but this feels a little MacGyver" 😂😂
@@Davidvariance I think everyone has that moment where you leave equipment with “it works” not the best feeling but it’s up and running.
You're so mean when you say "get out my shop" 😭😂
Actually surprised myself with what I managed to get right - deffo didn't have the terminology (except the washer lmao), but I've 0 experience in rides beyond being an enthusiast 🤷♂️
Super interesting video though! Thanks for all the detail, and running through the hellbox test!
Always fun to do under no pressure! The boss in me comes out in some of those phrases for sure.
Thanks a lot for this. Current auto mechanic thinking of a change. Do ride engineers hate ride mechanics as much as they do in automotive?
The door swings both ways. One day it’s WTF? The next day it’s “so glad your there to help”
Do you know what this guy is? “> clears throat< I’m joint”
On washers, sharp side down, smooth side to the nut or bolt head!
Greetings from the Netherlands. This is video helped me so much i instantly subscribed to your channel, I want to be a ride mechanic but do you think there is a big difference between parks frok the US and the Netherlands?
Not at all. It’s the same equipment, mostly made in the Netherlands haha. I can literally work on rides anywhere in the world. Just minor differences on how they start up and what the control system does. That is park influenced.
Thank you I love this I’m working on getting my AA in electrical engineering to help my resume, and I’m currently looking to work as a ride operator at a theme park. Your videos are so helpful than you.
Your welcome
I've always wanted to be a ride mechanic, but my fear of heights kinda makes that impossible. I'll just stick to racing instead lol
Yea I understand. I went from racing to rollercoaster haha!
Very cool! Do you mind if I ask what kind of racing you were involved in?
@@dadude1425 late model asphalt stock car racing. Purpose built chassis with fiberglass bodies. Raced on a 1/2 mile oval.
Yes a full hour long video! 😎😁
What park did you work at?
Nice, I got about 97% correct!
@@oldschoolsteve5116 awesome!
Thanks!
Thank you so much!! Glad you enjoy or find it useful!
This was a great video, should help a lot of folks wanting to get into the industry. Bit too late for me though, good thing I got hired anyway.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Me watching this already being a ride mechanic 👀
Haha!
i just wanna imagine you in the middle of a interview just say “Let’s talk about deez nutz” with a serious face
Holy God, on part test you just really remind me with my prof during engineering project exam.
Basically he really ask to the minute detail "What is it? Why you use it instead another thing? What is the advantage and disadvantages of those thing."
Like, I've never considered the choice of nut and bolt beyond what can I gather on local shop.
Yep. It’s designed to test not only if they know what it is but how much they know. I can’t have a mechanic trying to put a imperial bolt in a metric hole.
As a note: many companies pay interns these days! Disney pays really good especially!
Good to know
the only thing i got right was the lock out. Ive had to use those before :). i was relatively close to guessing the photo eyes, i knew it was a sensor of some sort but not sure, bearings i could identify, everything else i had no clue. Fun game tbh.
I would love to know what your are faves to ride? Across any
It’s funny i really don’t rank any rides. My favorites are just dependent on where I am that day. Or what I’m feeing like at the time. Everything is vey fluid to me.
I wish i would have went into this field.I was an auto tech for over 10yrs and got burnt out so i had to find another job.This career hadnt even dawned on me ,if i was a lil younger id prolly look jnto it,:being 41 my options are limited now
Pay will be your biggest issue at that age.
Going through this now!
Never thought about the similarities between HVAC work and ride mechanics... might be time for a career swap
I am a high school senior, but by the end of this school year, I will have completed the majority of the classes for my first two years of college. How old must I be to take an internship with a company?
Depends on the company. But most should be at least 18. Start looking if your interested. Never hurts to look.
Amazing informative video, thank you. Im doing a mechanical engineering degree at university, do you think it would be better to get a career working for a manufacturer than a park?
Both are equal. My personal thought is you get more experience with all sorts of thing by going with a company like cedar fair or six flags. But you do cutting edge with a manufacturer so it’s kind of a wash. But math is not my strong suit. :)
Neither is spelling, or grammar hahaha!!
@@ryantheridemechanic Great, thanks. Can definitely relate with spelling and grammar haha😂
Paused before you go over answers. And here goes, how much of an ass am I gonna make of myself.
1, I really don't know, but I see pliers, and cutters
2 maybe something for a safety harness anchor?
3 heim joint
4 some sort of relay/timer/control? Runs on 24 V DC Normally open/closed means where the component is at rest are there 3 each
5 key switch
6 an optical/light sensor? 20 - 240 V? Not really?
7 tapered bearing race, I see a bit of wear, but ive seen worse not make any noise, or because you changed the bearing then the tapered bearing that probably went with that race you had
8 Sealed bearing, pro keeps dirt out, con not greaseable
9 Return spring
10 Grade 8 fine thread, grade 5 long shank coarse, grade 5 short shank coarse, an all thread bolt, an Allen head, and an oxide finish bolt
Regular nut, a mechanical lock nut, and a nylock nut
I usually put the rounded side up.
I didn't get the electrical schematic one, but I didn't understand what you meant by drop out. Am I stupid?
I feel quite confident that I got everything on the hydraulic diagram though.
Would you hire me?
You did really good. I’d higher you assuming you sounded knowledgeable in person. A lot of an interview is just feeling out how the person handles them selves.
So you no longer do this for a living? If I may ask, what do you now?
I work for a pharmaceutical managing there computerized maintenance management system and master data.
🎢🎢🎢
Thanks!
Thank you so much!