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wheels

 

Has anyone constructed dolly wheels that attach to the legs and can be raised and lowered?
 

Tripod dollies are common, but castors are made for studio use where a level?floor is expected. Can't find any that are adjustable.
 

On Sat, Jan 11, 2025 at 02:45 PM, George Anderson wrote:
Has anyone constructed dolly wheels that attach to the legs and can be raised and lowered?
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The best dollies I have seen are the old Wheeliebars, I have one I use to roll my rig out of the garage to the observation point on my paved driveway.? The Wheeliebars I have are the medium payload with small wheels and 1/2" threaded jack screws that I put large 2 ton equipment leveling foot pads on. I have probably been overloading them for the last 10 years, I leave a G11G on an old Losmandy HD and more recently a LWT, 60 plus pounds in the G11G saddle and 70 plus pounds of counterweight as well as a medium 30Ahr battery pack and networking gear. They are worth finding and buying!?
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You can sometimes find them used for a few hundred dollars which seems high but there is nothing else like them and unless you are a steel fabricator you won't build anything as strong or as stable in wood for even a few hundred bucks.??
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--

Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?

Astrospheric Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
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George,
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Do when you say "raised and lowered" do you mean so that in the raised position the tripod will roll and in the lowered position the tripod feet will contact the ground?
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That is a huge range of motion, especially if you have decent (needed to traverse rough ground) sized wheels. Like four to eight inches.
And given the weight of the tripod you'd need something in the design to give you the mechanical advantage needed to move the wheels with the load (mount+telescope) present.
And to avoid tipping you'd ideally want them all to raise and lower in sync over that kind of range of motion (4 to 8 inches). Or to be able to move the individual wheels up and down in small increments so you could work your way around the tripod, raising and lowering the tripod incrementally.
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I think this is why George Cushing couldn't find any.
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The usual solution is to make/buy what is called a tripod dolly (JMI makes what are known as "Wheeley Bars") that have jack screws (with pads to spread the load) to slightly raise the wheels off the ground.
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If you are handy with working with metal (nuts and bolts or even welding) you can readily make one. Otherwise, spend the money. Or make something out of plywood.
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The advantage of building your own is you can use proper jack screws (it is a special square section Acme thread). The commercial astro-specific models use a standard, triangular, National Coarse thread which, over time, will strip under the load of going up and down. I know this because I maintain the Wheeley Bars our local Park District has. And whenever I set it up for them I place metal pucks (they now sell as an upgrade pads but that reduces the ground clearance) under the screws so they don't punch thru the blacktop. And we replaced the (cheaper) pneumatic (billed as providing a "soft ride") tires with marginally more expensive solid ones that never need inflating and actually give a better ride.
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Best regards,
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Mark Christensen
 

On 1/12/2025 11:50 AM, Chip Louie via groups.io wrote:
Has anyone constructed dolly wheels that attach to the legs and can be raised and lowered?
I don't raise and lower my wheels but my setup is just as stiff. Here is what I use.

I have a Losmandy G811 that I keep in the garage fully set up with scope and mini-PC.? I observe from the end of my concrete driveway.

To move the rig, I bought a used JMI Wheely Bar with 5" wheels.? But I quickly realized that the hard wheels (even the 5" ones) rolled VERY roughly over my concrete driveway with cracks.? So I removed all three wheels and fabricated a triangular piece of plywood that bolts from underneath to the center of the Wheely Bar as well as two of the three legs using the threaded holes for the leg extensions. The jack screws protrude through clearance holes in the plywood.? I then ran an axle across the open end of the triangle between the two rear legs and added 8" semi-pneumatic tires.? To finish it off, I made a handle from 1/2" steel conduit sections that attaches to the third leg (opposite the new axle) and makes lifting and guiding the front of the rig easy.

In use, I retract the two jack screws next to the 8" wheels, grab the counterweight shaft for balance and safety, and lift the handle to tilt the rig back on the rear wheels.? I then roll it as needed on just the two 8" rear wheels.? They are soft enough that I feel comfortable with the level of vibration and they roll over cracks easily and the whole thing steers easily.? When I get to the desired location, I lower the handle which puts the front jack screw on the ground (remember, no wheel on that leg).? I then screw the two rear jack screws to lift the rear wheels off the ground and I'm open for business.? I put a pair of lock nuts on each jack screw so that when I screw them down, they stop at the same place each time, so once level it stays level from one session to the next.

Total expenditure, maybe $20 plus the used Wheely Bar.? Total time from garage to observation location at the end of my driveway..... maybe two minutes, including reeling out an extension cord for power.? Ditto for the trip back to the garage.

I set the rig in the same place and orientation each time so with a simple run of the NINA polar alignment routine, I'm up and running.

I 3D printed some large knobs with finger holes for the jack screws to make them easier to spin up and down.? Not sure what JMI supplied as the jack screws were missing on my used Wheely Bar.

The plywood piece serves two functions, actually.? First, it is the attachment point for the axle.? But it also seriously stiffens the whole assembly, which feels just as rigid with the jack screws down as the tripod does by itself.? Without it, the legs felt a bit wobbly even with the jack screws down.

My approach, anyway.

Did I need the Wheely Bar?? Probably not..... a larger triangular piece of plywood with appropriate holes and threaded T nuts for the jack screws would probably have worked as well.? But I had it, so.....

Paul

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Paul Goelz
Rochester Hills, MI USA
pgoelz@...
www.pgoelz.com
 

I am not sure would want them lowered.? At one time, I made a caster system for many mounts including Losmandys that had locks on them.? I used them on my GM8 and G811G with no noticeable vibration.? I have since sold the company ton an American in Poland.? See scoperoller.com
 

On Sun, Jan 12, 2025 at 08:50 AM, Chip Louie wrote:
Wheeliebars
Thanks Chip I will look into this.
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Also just hoping that you are not too neat the fires.? Stay safe.
 

Yes I envision castors that can be foot-raised and lowered. When lowered of course off we go.? When raised the tripod feet contact the ground.??
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Saw some on amazon MIGHT work but how to attach to losmandy legs.?
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Several problems are ID'd in here that I didn't consider like off balance when feet are raised one be one.? How to set up equatorially, and more.
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Saw this on cloudy nights which could work just like I want.? No up/down wheels and I love the screw adjustable levelling.??
IMG_20210305_095516335_HDR.jpg
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Gotta thank everyone for ideas.
 

Thank you.? Looked at scope roller and definitely a great solution.? Only issue for me is levelling once I get to observing spot.? Is the product still offered in US?
 

I get weekly emails from Farpoint Astro saying they have wheely bars in stock. I’m pretty sure they might be going out of business but this seems to be something they have plenty of:
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they aren’t cheap but I’ve heard good things about them… stable and all that.?
 

On 1/13/2025 10:16 AM, George Anderson via groups.io wrote:
Thank you.? Looked at scope roller and definitely a great solution.? Only issue for me is levelling once I get to observing spot.? Is the product still offered in US?
Leveling an equatorial mount is NOT required prior to polar alignment.? The only effect from your mount being off level prior to alignment is minor coupling between alt and az adjustment while polar aligning.? It has no effect at all on the final polar alignment.? My mount can be sitting sideways and still achieve perfect polar alignment..... all that is required is that the RA axis is pointed at the NCP.

Paul

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Paul Goelz
Rochester Hills, MI USA
pgoelz@...
www.pgoelz.com
 

This might be the solution.? Around $500 is OK cause I'm going to sell my skyShedPod to fund it. Pod is a great product but it just aint needed cause my shop is so close if I need an accessory I can just walk 20 feet to get it. Doing PA every time I roll out could be a pain though.? Thanks.
 

Any recommendations for which one to move a G11 with C9.25 on board?? I mean weight issues?? Any issues folks can warn of?
 

George-?
I don't want to overly commercialize this conversation, but I have a beefed up modified set of wheely bars with 5 inch wheels which have supported my G11 with an Edge HD1100 for several years.? I'm in the process of trying to sell my entire rig, and if you're interested, feel free to contact me individually for photos and description.??

Jim R.

On Tue, Jan 14, 2025 at 10:55?AM George Anderson via <gma2509=[email protected]> wrote:
Any recommendations for which one to move a G11 with C9.25 on board?? I mean weight issues?? Any issues folks can warn of?
 

"Thank you.? Looked at scope roller and definitely a great solution.? Only issue for me is levelling once I get to observing spot.? Is the product still offered in US?"

You are correct about leveling.? I developed this for my driveway.? ScopeRoller sells in North America, but shipping from Europe is expensive.? This was always an issue when I shipped to Australia.? The current owner would love tom find a U.S. distributor to keep inventory for cheap and fast North America delivery.? It might be a way to make some money ofv what is now a hobby.? I am too rich now to justify the work.
 

I looked at the scope roller site and it said they are doing make to order no inventory. Perhaps it's due to capital inventory cost and level of demand.?
I have no idea.??
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"Too rich to justify the work."? :)? There's a nice problem to have!
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Thanks for response. I have not received one from Mr Nugent yet. But he does say it's part time and may be a while before response is sent.? But I see no way on the site to order the product.? ?Maybe I missed it?
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Leveling I guess I could do the first time then roll scope onto marked locations on driveway.? Good for PA also.?
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Thanks again.
 

Where are you, Jim?
 

Georgia, USA


On Wed, Jan 15, 2025 at 9:34?AM George Anderson via <gma2509=[email protected]> wrote:
Where are you, Jim?
 

Not happy with CN build. The height of the center of gravity makes me nervous. Buy the time you get the wheels up you'll have three kind'a?skinny?columns supporting everything. See this CN H-D Dolly discussion for a design with large wheels and a lower COG.?

I've filed this design idea away for future consideration.
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