There are two main types of Vertical Tower Rotary Systems (CLICK TO SEE MOVIE), the tension chain and the compression chain style.There are more than 5,000 tension chain, Rotary Tower Systems currently operating in Japan. Some of these systems are more than 50 years old. The systems are manufactured by some of Japan's largest companies. There were over 70 tension chain Rotary parking systems built and sold in Central, North and South America in the 1970’s. In 1990 Car-O-Sell (CLICK TO SEE MOVIE), a New Jersey company, built and sold these machines in Europe and South America.

There is a very famous sequence in the movie "Atlantic City" where the star, Burt Lancaster, has a very dramatic fight while being rotated about on Rotary Parking Machines. While the machines shown in the movie were later taken down to build a hotel, there are still a number of these systems operating in the United States today.

In most cases each Rotary System can hold from 22 to 50 cars, depending on its height. The 10 units shown in the movie were 88 feet (27m) tall and held 22 cars each. The basic machinery is made from structural steel but in most countries the tower has to be enclosed and must contain a fire control system. Different areas have different fireproofing requirements for the structure. The machinery cost of these systems is fairly high and the structural cost range from moderate to high depending on the local building requirements. The operational speed is fairly slow, especially for the taller towers.

Stokes Industries no longer recommends the vertical rotary systems (aka Ferris wheel, vertical carousal) because it has been superseded by more efficient tower shuttle systems. Tower shuttle systems are modular in design, very flexible, provide a denser parking foot print, require less power, and are less expensive to build and operate.