12 replies to this topic

[lumos]

I thought that it would be a good idea to buy a dolly so that I could leave my whole rig assembled and wheel it into the barn when there was going to be a stretch of bad weather. However, I have never been brave enough to use it with anything other than the Tri-pier on, remembering that the mount itself comes unlocked in its box so how would it survive being rolled across the drive. And this is before I put an Esprit 150 on it. I bought A heavy duty JMI dolly with six 10 inch pneumatic wheels and perhaps I would move it over smooth concrete but I just shudder at the torque the mount would feel wheeling it across the grass. And this is just with my CEM70, let alone the 10Micron GM1000.

 

Am I being too protective? 

 

Last year I just left it set up under its Gizmo 365 cover all spring and summer so should I just sell the dolly?

[David I]

https://www.cloudyni...olly-for-eq6-r/

I use one hand to hold on to the EQ6R when  going over grass  . I guess it depends on your physical strength but I have no problems just go slow.

David

Edited by David I, 25 January 2023 - 07:55 AM.

[Bean614]

The tires should NOT be less than 10", AND they should be Pneumatic!  Also, do NOT 'push' the scope, get in front and PULL it.

[Stevegeo]

Like this? 

 

[lumos]

Yes, I have a tow bar so it can only be pulled and tie downs to keep the telescope on the dolly. My real concern was for the clutches on the mount as it moves across the grass.

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[lumos]

Like this? Q_1674361700516.jpg

Always been a fan of your work

[Stevegeo]

So whats the holdup?  Or are you waiting for your rig to fall over , or trip carrying it out to set up ? 

 I have three myself , one hand on the unit  to walk beside steer/guide.

 

Trust me here many have had their units fall over , blow over. ,tripped , dropped with catastrophic  results  .

 I have personally witnessed a nice refractor tip over and a few min later a C8,  and now both unuseable .

 Carrying your equipment out a pita,  most are awarkward to carry anyhow , top heavy .. cords , wires etc .

Things get knocked around   .. and the setup time ..   some scopes sit idle in garages unused because the owners arent motivated enough to carry it all out .. a shame ..

 

Myself,  im fortunate enough to have an observatory,  one scope permanent  there . Three on buggys , biggest stays home for the yard .. the other two, for outreach , star parties  or just grab n go ( camping , trips etc. ) 

It works , wear and tear near nil, nothing braking,  easy setup, roll to ..  and ENJOY.

 

So i ask again .. whats holding you back? 

[Stevegeo]

And to answer your question.  yes much safer then  carrying , 

as for wear on clutches .. 

My view is this . If you lock your clutches  loads from shifting while moving go directly to motor/ encoders .  Not the best .

If your careful on your terrain . This is very negligible.   Personally i leave mine  slightly unlocked , and move with one hand on the scope , to guide/ steer .   Pulling a handle   LIFTS UP  the end you are pulling .. to me thats a problem for tipping .

[alphatripleplus]

I thought that it would be a good idea to buy a dolly so that I could leave my whole rig assembled and wheel it into the barn when there was going to be a stretch of bad weather. 

I use a ScopeBuggy with my Mach 1 and triplet refractor, but I use ratchet straps to secure the tripod to the ScopeBuggy when going across the yard from the garage. The 10 inch pneumatic tires can handle the mostly level grass yard, but I would not risk it without the ratchet straps if there are any inclines you have to navigate.

[lumos]

I use a ScopeBuggy with my Mach 1 and triplet refractor, but I use ratchet straps to secure the tripod to the ScopeBuggy when going across the yard from the garage. The 10 inch pneumatic tires can handle the mostly level grass yard, but I would not risk it without the ratchet straps if there are any inclines you have to navigate.

100% agree with the tie downs. I ordered my JMI with the full tie down kit. I am really interested that you move your mount with the triplet still mounted. What size refractor is it?

[Stevegeo]

I would not move any setup without a strap.  

You may think its locked down  , but gravity wins everytime , lift one leg and its doomed . 

All of mine have a ratchet strap to the mount , and a welded loop on the frame .  Straps are rated fot 500 lbs the buggys, 300.. except my C14 which wil do 1000 easily . Thats the only one with 10 in hd tires . Most scopes are not even close to max limit anyhow. And the Jmi units , overpriced , and difficult to manage.  I have been to many a star party where these show up, the main complaint is how they maneuver, and how they pull . Theres even a few vids on you tube where the owner wish they never got them .,  sad too . Not much choice out there .. one of the very reasons among many i built  my own .

I wanted something that had the following :

 

Secure the scope for moving. No more carry. Load up and go.

Eliminate tipping while moving,  one hand guide/ stop/steer

Easy , simple assemble/ diassemble  ( quickly)  fit in my car / camper without taking up room.

Strong , yet light in weight,  under 30lbs 

Easy to transport over about any terrain,  grass , gravel, pavement , sidewalks .. WITHOUT A HANDLE .

Ability to level up, and support any add ons.. batteries, laptops , cords . ADAPTABLE TO ANY SCOPE .

 

[alphatripleplus]

100% agree with the tie downs. I ordered my JMI with the full tie down kit. I am really interested that you move your mount with the triplet still mounted. What size refractor is it?

It is a 130mm f/7 triplet, and I really don't want any chance of it tipping over and off the ScopeBuggy. Ratchet straps are cheap, work well and give me piece of mind. 

 

Of course, if your path has steps and very steep inclines, a dolly/buggy may not work even with tie downs.

[lumos]

No, the route is pretty flat, you can actually see it in the image above, just drive the dolly forwards 150metres to the turreted building that is my barn. I also used insanely strong tie downs (3 in total on each leg). The feet of the tri-pier is so far inside the wheels of the dolly it is silly but really stable. Of course that comes at a cost of not going through any normal doorway. It is also not easily broken down to transport like @stevegeo units. It is also over twice the weight but on the big 10" wheels it is a smooth ride, I was just concerned about the stress that would present to the worm gears as it bobbled across my lawn. Alphatripleplus's experience with his Mach 1 is very instructive.