Test dummies or not?

How does a park decide whether a coaster can test empty or needs the weights, water dummies or people? I noticed today no coasters at KI use weight during their test runs. Vortex and Diamondback were scary slow during their tests.

Does the manufacturer recommend weights or not? Is it the type of coaster that can justify weights or not?

Does it take a rollback during a test run to make a park make use of weights? (Think Raptor closing day '06)

Jo
Lifetime Raptor flights: 2169 :)

I've never seen anything in a manufacturer's recommendation. At least in my experience, it's just a judgment call.

Dummies are generally used in the spring for breaking in rides, since they need to circuit over and over, all day. Later in the season if it's just a cool night, people are generally used since it's a PIA to fill all those dummies just for one or two cycles.

Probably common knowledge to us CoasterBuzzers, but it is to prevent rollbacks by adding weight to the trains.

LostKause said:
Probably common knowledge to us CoasterBuzzers, but it is to prevent rollbacks by adding weight to the trains.

That much I already knew silly! :)
My ? was why some coasters use them and some dont?

Jo
Lifetime Raptor flights: 2169 :)

Don't coasters use dummiers throught the day? They're called "humans"

Hopman said:
Don't coasters use dummiers throught the day?

Interesting.. There are levels of Dummy?

Dummy
Dummiers
Dummiests

:)

Or in other words, the three levels of "test dummies" are:

Buzzer's

ACEers

General Public

Eek.. Wouldnt walk around a park saying that too loud.

That's why I'm saying it here numbskull! :)

Ahh.. Virtual Courage.. Very nice..

There are different grades of viscosity oils used in the bearings that are often changed due to cool weather. Also its not uncommon to use blast heaters under a train shed to warm em up :)

Chuck