Largest Solid Tube Dob for Travel?

[Beulah]

if it's well made then about 10 minutes max.

That justifies my search for a decent 12 - 14" primary mirror.

Takes approx 2 mins to set up a large solid tube dob in a remote location but it would be nice to cart one around in a small truck so that I can walk into a nearby field....

[Moonshane]

K&B ?

Kriege and Berry - the dobmaker's bible.

[Moonshane]

That justifies my search for a decent 12 - 14" primary mirror.

Takes approx 2 mins to set up a large solid tube dob in a remote location but it would be nice to cart one around in a small truck so that I can walk into a nearby field....

another option is wheelbarrow handles on your solid tube if the land is reasonably flat.

[Beulah]

another option is wheelbarrow handles on your solid tube if the land is reasonably flat.

It's not.

[Bart]

It's not.

Ok so, maybe a Monster Truck USA-style is the order of the day

[scarp15]

Thanks one and all, the 'clouds' have parted yet again. When the time arrives whenever that will be, I shall look at a 16" - 18" truss. I think that the one main gripe concering the 14" solid tube in my case, is that it will have to live in a room up stairs and the bulk 1540cm compared to currenlty 93cm with the flex, might become a lttle tricky to manage. I will have no assistance with loading it into the car either, my wife and daughter keep well out of it.

[Cjg]

Hi Iain,

I had a 10 Solid Tube Orion USA Scope - the tube would sit across the back seat of my Skoda Fabia and the mount in the boot - fine with just me and the scope going from home to Seething and the observatory, but no chance of fitting in wife & son too, so not travel friendly with family.

Would manage to load / unload in two trips at either end - fine for when the skies were super clear, but a big "cannot be bothered" factor when the skies have been as iffy as they have lately.

Chris

[scarp15]

Chris, Yes that is how I fit my scope into my fabia and with the base fitting, just, into the boot, where there is room for the eyepiece case alongside and various accessories, clothes etc packed inside the mount.

I am considering all options, yet feel in no hurry to change my current set up, particularly, based on some additional enquires, in which I am inclined towards custom built.

Two additional questions I would like to ask though. Firstly concerning a 16" lightbridge / GSO revelation scope - is this manageable to set up by one person, or would some assistance be preferable? Secondarly, switching back to the original thread question, concerning how manageable a larger solid tube dob may fit into an average size car or not, how does anyone who uses lighter versions, such as OOUK models (12" -16") handle this for accessing into and out of their storage area? My scopes live in a spare room upstairs and this might be a concern if handling for example, a 20kg,154cm x 38cm tube?