# Falling wall....



## GoreGator (Mar 24, 2009)

anyone ever made one of these? If so can you share some pics or instructions? Im gonna try one for next year and its got to be able to make it thru several nights.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

When you say falling wall do you mean like it falls towards the guests or 1/2 the wall drops like a drop panel?

I'll post the link when I get home, but I found a how-to on doing a 55 gallon barrel drop which is basically 2 columns of 3 barrels stacked and hinged to look like they're falling.

The same idea/concept could easily be used to make a falling wall. I was actually thinking about trying to incorporate it into a falling bookshelf.


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## GoreGator (Mar 24, 2009)

Hey Joker, what I meant is like a 8' by 8' wall that falls towards the people and hits a brace to stop.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Here's the link I was referring to about the falling barrels
http://www.theironkingdom.com/BarrelDrop/


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## GoreGator (Mar 24, 2009)

thats a good idea and I have several barrells like that. But Ive got to do the full wall. I wondering if I hinge it on a bottom frame and then secure it extra with chains from behind. Just wondering if anyone has built one.


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## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

It took me a bit to find it again, but here was a similar idea except with wooden crates that Dreadnight did a few years ago.


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## BackYardHaunter (Nov 16, 2009)

i could draw up something i had this idea i mind for a while. and how i would do it. let my know if u want me to. also provide how big u want it and what your looking to spead.
PM me if u would want me to do that
-BYH


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

If only I had the room for something like that. that would wet a lot of pants though


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## Ironman (Feb 4, 2006)

Hey Joker,
I forgot that web page was still around for the falling barrels. They were originally built 8 years ago when we used to do a haunted trail. In '08 they morphed into wine barrels for our wine cellar.
SoS 08 :: Wine Barrels video by Namnori - [email protected]@[email protected]@http://vid17.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid17.photobucket.com/albums/b90/Namnori/SoS%2008/[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@b90/Namnori/SoS%2008/100_2218
Same steel drums....just refitted with the wood exterior.

Seven years ago (while still on the trail) I built our falling wall. It too has gone through several renditions, and here it is this past season:
Stuff :: Falling Wall video video by Namnori - [email protected]@[email protected]@http://vid17.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid17.photobucket.com/albums/b90/Namnori/Stuff/[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@b90/Namnori/Stuff/FallingWallvid

And here are a couple of shots of the back to give an idea of how it is built:
Stuff :: Back of falling wall 1 picture by Namnori - Photobucket

Stuff :: Back of falling wall 2 picture by Namnori - Photobucket

Like the barrels...the wall is made of three equal segments. In this case each is 32" tall and 96" wide. Each segment is hinged and tethered via aircraft cable to fall 15 degrees. This makes the top section hover over the heads of our victims at a 45 degree angle. In this version we added strips of burlap and a few chains on the backside for added movement and sound. As you can imagine, each of these props repeatedly put people to the floor when triggered.

We have also done stacks of smaller one gallon cans mounted on a wall shelf in our kitchen the same way. And I have built book cases, wall tapestries, and large portraits this exact same way. The later were all pneumatically operated while the barrels and wall are actor activated for safety's sake. Both are fairly heavy and if anyone ever wandered out of the 'safe' zone, they would not be triggered.

Anyway, if anyone has any questions, or anything I can help with, please let me know.


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## The-Haunter (Sep 24, 2009)

We did one last year as part of our haunted mine used carrrage bolts in the bottom for the swivel and chains for the stop. It was built out of pallets as was the whole mine area


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Ironman said:


> Hey Joker,
> I forgot that web page was still around for the falling barrels. They were originally built 8 years ago when we used to do a haunted trail. In '08 they morphed into wine barrels for our wine cellar.
> http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b90/Namnori/SoS 08/?action=view&current=100_2218.flv
> Same steel drums....just refitted with the wood exterior.


I found that page 2 years ago and have been wanting to build it ever since. Had the space for it this year, just didn't have the time to put it together. Thanks again for posting that as well as your changes/upgrades.


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## GoreGator (Mar 24, 2009)

Ironman said:


> Hey Joker,
> I forgot that web page was still around for the falling barrels. They were originally built 8 years ago when we used to do a haunted trail. In '08 they morphed into wine barrels for our wine cellar.
> http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b90/Namnori/SoS 08/?action=view&current=100_2218.flv
> Same steel drums....just refitted with the wood exterior.
> ...


Ironm, am I seeing that correctly and does your wall pivot downward at the mid way point up the wall?


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## Ironman (Feb 4, 2006)

Okay, here are a couple of really basic sketches for the falling wall. What I didn't draw in are the tether cables, but I think you can get the general idea. The cables attach to the upper portion of each of the wall segments and then to the stationary frame. These limit the drop of each panel to 15 degrees.
http://tinyurl.com/2aoybw
http://tinyurl.com/yvf6de
The mechanics for the Barrel Drop in the previous pictures is pretty much the same as the wall.
I hope this helps, but if you have questions, let me know.


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## Ironman (Feb 4, 2006)

Better video of both the wall and the barrel drop:


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## Uncleanspirit (Dec 1, 2009)

Wow that rocks. Can't help but think "liability issue" with such a close proximity to the guests but certainly gets my attention. Thanks for posting the vid!


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## Ironman (Feb 4, 2006)

Yes, there is a level of risk, as with many props, but with these larger props we took great care to install redundant safety features. Each section of wall and each barrel has two 1/4" steel aircraft cables rigged for stops to keep them from going too far. Plus they are actor/tech activated so that they can monitor the group to make sure that they are not in harms way just in case. We always have the path blocked to channel our victims into the 'safety zone'. We also routinely check all cable clamps each night before we open to make sure we have no slippage or fraying.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Ironman with a 3 section 8' wall what is the height of the wall when dropped and how much distance does it travel away from its original upright position?


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## Ironman (Feb 4, 2006)

On the wall...the end height is approximately 82" and the projection is approximately 46". This would vary slightly depending on the materials used for the construction. One thing I didn't mention on the safety issue....the frames for these have to be firmly secured to the floor. I use 8 3/8" concrete expansion anchors at the haunt, and the tech that activates them is also standing on a plate that is welded to the frame. When we used the barrels on the trail I made long 'U' shapes from re-bar that we drove into the ground in addition to a couple of hundred pounds of sandbags placed on top of the framework. Surprisingly it does not take a large muscular person to operate these. Gravity and inertia do all the work.


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## GoreGator (Mar 24, 2009)

good designs man, I really appreciate the help!!!!


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## Darkmaster (May 9, 2009)

I really like the looks of the barrels. I don't think from a safety aspect, the walls would work. Just the looks of it, the barrels would.

May have to try something.


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## BackYardHaunter (Nov 16, 2009)

sorry i havent got the drawing done. ive been really busy im almost done.

-BYH


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