DIY scope dolly

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Larry 1969 United States of America
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DIY scope dolly

#1

Post by Larry 1969 »


Good day all!
I had been trying to find plans to make your own scope dolly and wasn't having much luck...
I looked into the "scope buggy" and was put off by how cheaply made yet expensive it is!
I also looked at JMI wheelie bars and WOW! :shock: Talk about expensive!

I came up with a fairly simple plan and my son, who works in a metal fab shop, agreed to help me make it happen.

This is the frame. 2 X 2 square tubing. 9 ft total. It's just big enough to accommodate my tripod.
KIMG0153[1].JPG
I added some 5" casters that roll very nicely and have a hard rubber treadles tire. I had to also add some 3" x 4" pieces of 1/8" plate to accommodate the mounting plates of the casters.
KIMG0156.JPG
I drilled 1" holes for the feet of my tripod to sit in. They're hard to see but I figured I'd need something to stop it from sliding off...
KIMG0157.JPG
I had to think for a bit about how to hold it securely... Then it came to me! A turnbuckle! :idea:
I simply attached a coupler to the threaded portion that sticks out below my mount and attached a loop.
I then added a hook to the frame and now I just have to hand tighten the turnbuckle and it's beyond sturdy. :)
KIMG0158.JPG
All that's left is the handle, leveling screws and paint. I'm also going to add a piece of sturdy plastic to the frame at the rear to set my power supply on.
I'll add to this when it's finished.

Larry
For visual:
10" Skywatcher collapsible goto dob, various EP's and a Celestron StarSense auto align.

For imaging:
Orion 8" astrograph 800mm @ F3.9
Eq6-R Pro controlled by APT via EQmod with an OTA mounted mini PC
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#2

Post by Lowjiber »


Good Job, Larry! I like the turnbuckle anchoring mechanism.:)

Thanks for the share.

Clear Skies & Stay Safe
John (Urban Astronomer) Apertura AD10 Dob; XLT 150 Dob; XLT 120EQ; Lunt Solar 60 PT/B1200; ES AR102; SW Pro 100ED; 2 SW Pro 80ED's; 90mm Eq; WO Z-61; SW 90mm Virtuso Mak; 2 Orion ST-80's; Quark-C; Cams: Polemaster, ASI120MM-S, ASI174MM & ASI174MM-C
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Lady Fraktor Slovakia
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#3

Post by Lady Fraktor »


A nice design, well thought out :)
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss
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JayTee United States of America
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#4

Post by JayTee »


Great work Larry. A truly inspired DIY.

A word of caution though, don't paint it black. That's the one piece of equipment you don't want to make invisible so you kick it at night.

Cheers,
JT
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros.
∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000
∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3
∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100
∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°

Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."

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Larry 1969 United States of America
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#5

Post by Larry 1969 »


JayTee wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 9:26 pm Great work Larry. A truly inspired DIY.

A word of caution though, don't paint it black. That's the one piece of equipment you don't want to make invisible so you kick it at night.

Cheers,
JT
Thanks!
Already have the white paint ready to go! 8-)
Just need to get some self etching primer for the smooth metal surfaces..

Larry
For visual:
10" Skywatcher collapsible goto dob, various EP's and a Celestron StarSense auto align.

For imaging:
Orion 8" astrograph 800mm @ F3.9
Eq6-R Pro controlled by APT via EQmod with an OTA mounted mini PC
Tele Vue Paracorr Type 2 coma corrector
Altair Hypercam 26C
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Thefatkitty Canada
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#6

Post by Thefatkitty »


Larry, that is genius! :D And nice of your son to help as well. I do a fair amount of welding and I quite like the job done; kudos to him for that. John's right; that turnbuckle idea was well thought out too!

Be great to hear how it works for you once it's all painted up :D

All the best,
Mark

"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4 & AZ-EQ5 mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.

H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
Ca-K - W/O 61mm, Antares 1.6 barlow, Baader 3.8 OD and Ca-K filters with a ZWO ASI174mm.
W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.

Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#7

Post by helicon »


Nice job Larry. Very creative and functional.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
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Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#8

Post by gregl »


:handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupright:
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#9

Post by Larry 1969 »


Things got busy and the project was placed on hold for a while but it's finished.
I got to test it out last night and it works great. I can now use the front leveler for my altitude adjustment for PA. 8-)
You may notice that the levelers are extra long. That's so I don't have to bend down to adjust them.

Larry
Attachments
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For visual:
10" Skywatcher collapsible goto dob, various EP's and a Celestron StarSense auto align.

For imaging:
Orion 8" astrograph 800mm @ F3.9
Eq6-R Pro controlled by APT via EQmod with an OTA mounted mini PC
Tele Vue Paracorr Type 2 coma corrector
Altair Hypercam 26C
Image
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#10

Post by Lady Fraktor »


Great to hear it works well for you.
Anything to make it easier to view :)
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss
The only culture I have is from yogurt
My day was going well until... people
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#11

Post by gregl »


Great idea on the levelers! :Clap:
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Re: DIY scope dolly

#12

Post by Greenman »


Inventive and practical, I like the end product.
Cheers,

Tony.

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Smart Scope: Dwarf II - Club and outreach work.

AP Refractor: Altair 72EDF Deluxe F6;1x & 0.8 Flatteners; Antares Versascope 60mm finder. ASIAir Pro.Li battery pack for grab & go.

Celestron AVX Mount; X-cel LX eyepieces & Barlows 2x 3x, ZWO 2” Filter holder,

Cameras: main DSO ASI533MC; DSO guide ASI120MM; Planetary ASI224MC; DSLR Canon EOS100 stock.

Filters: Astronomik IR cut; Optolong L-Pro; Optolong L-Enhance.

Binoculars: Celestron 15 x 70.

Latitude: 52.219853
Longitude: -1.034471
Accuracy: 5 m
Bortle 4 site. https://maps.google.com/?q=52.21985,-1.03447

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