Scopes & Backs

[chiltonstar]

A perennial topic, I fear!

Like many, I have had some problems lfting heavy kit around, particularly when it's dark and cold, as it often is! I've tried putting my mounts on a trolley to move them with 5" wheels, but to be honest, it made the problem worse as I have to go over some rough and stepped surfaces to get to my preferred observing position, so I went back to my workplace heavy lifting notes and tried to apply them. Planning ahead, keeping the scope weight (8kg) close to the body, ditto the tripod and head (11kg), and following the advice below has made quite a positive difference. These are notes copied from the NHS website.

Chris

Safe lifting tips

 

One of the biggest causes of back injury at work is lifting or handling objects incorrectly.

Learning and following the correct method for lifting and handling heavy loads can help prevent injury and avoid back pain.

Check out these safe lifting and handling tips, recommended by the Health and Safety Executive.

 

Think before you lift

Plan the lift. Where is the load going to be placed? Use appropriate handling aids where possible. Will help be needed with the load?

Remove obstructions, such as discarded wrapping materials. For long lifts, such as from floor to shoulder height, consider resting the load mid-way on a table or bench to change your grip on it.

Keep the load close to the waist

Keep the load close to the waist for as long as possible while lifting to reduce the amount of pressure on the back.

Keep the heaviest side of the load next to the body. If closely approaching the load isn't possible, try to slide it towards the body before trying to lift it.

Adopt a stable position

Your feet should be apart with one leg slightly forward to maintain balance (alongside the load, if it's on the ground).

Be prepared to move your feet during the lift to maintain a stable posture. Wearing over-tight clothing or unsuitable footwear, such as high heels or flip flops, may make this difficult.

Ensure a good hold on the load

Where possible, hug the load close to the body. This should help you make a stronger and more solid lift than gripping the load tightly with the hands only.

Don't bend your back when lifting

A slight bending of the back, hips and knees at the start of the lift is preferable to either fully flexing the back (stooping) or fully flexing the hips and knees – in other words, fully squatting.

Don't bend the back any further while lifting

This can happen if the legs begin to straighten before starting to raise the load.

Don't twist when you lift

Avoid twisting the back or leaning sideways, especially while the back is bent.

Keep your shoulders level and facing the same direction as the hips. Turning by moving your feet is better than twisting and lifting at the same time.

Look ahead

Keep your head up when handling the load. Look ahead, not down at the load, once it has been held securely.

Move smoothly

Don't jerk or snatch the load as this can make it harder to keep control and increases the risk of injury.

Know your limits

Don't lift or handle more than you can easily manage. There's a difference between what people can lift and what they can safely lift. If you're in doubt, seek advice or get help.

Lower down, then adjust

Put the load down and then adjust. If you need to position the load precisely, put it down first, then slide it into the desired position.

 

 

[dweller25]

Excellent, I have a bad back and apply all of these tips.

[brantuk]

Setting up and taking down a large Sct (the easy way):

 

 

[DaveS]

Yep. Had manual handling in several H&S courses I've been on as a school technician.

Mind you I've carried 9.5kg stage lanterns up ladders and rigged one handed before now. Never mind bringing flight casses of lighting kit into school up a short flight of steps.

Never again!

[Paz]

This is a topic I am very mindful of. I have a lifting strap on my vx14 so I can carry it without having to lean/reach over it (the yellow thing in the picture).

The most risky point is packing up when I may be cold and tired and may make a move without the same care and planning if I don't stop and think first.

[Highburymark]

Only one solution for me after my back got steadily worse - traded in my go-tos abd SCTs and bought lightweight 4" refractor, carbon fibre tripod and mini giro mount - all under 5kg. I miss the wider apertures, but count myself lucky I can still observe. Good advice in chiltonstar's post.

[DaveS]

I'm thinking that building an obsy is the thing, with a small chain hoist running along the roof. 

ATM the TS 130mm I have is about as much as I want to regularly swap on my mount.

[Stu]

Great advice Chris. I'm another who has a back back, too much lifting and heavy work in the garden I guess, probably not helped by rowing at University.

All excellent tips to be followed, although I am currently more than happy that my 4" scope is my heaviest, avoiding any chance of further problems.

[RichM63]

My over-riding major problem is "forgetting" I have a bad back.

4 exploded discs apparently from years ago according to the scans etc.

Normally no pain, no problem, life is good, until I 'forget' and then hoick a few sacks of cement off the ground or some such.

Life is then not so good for a good while afterwards, injections, physio', sleeping awkwardly, as for the WC, don't even ask.

Backs need to be looked after.

Rich

[Alien 13]

I have a back thing, if I bend over I sometimes cant get straight again and have to walk around for hours looking at the floor...

Alan

[Beagleboy]

I broke my back snowboarding about 18 months ago. It's never really recovered from that! I bought a velcro carry strap from Amazon (cost about a tenner), which wraps around my Skywatcher 200 very securely, with plenty to spare. I also bought a wee two wheeled trolley from Aldi / Lidl for about the same price. My Dobson base fits securely to the trolley and the handle on the carry strap means that I can comfortably manage to transfer the whole lot over to the dark corner of my local playpark about 500 metres away from my house in one trip.

C. 

[laser_jock99]

On 10/12/2017 at 17:50, DaveS said:

I'm thinking that building an obsy is the thing, with a small chain hoist running along the roof

 

Good advice OP but the most import thing you can do to save you back (and a great deal of setup time) is:

Build an observatory!

As DaveS above points out though- even this is not without it's own lifting hazards as heavy scopes still need to lifted onto possibly even higher pier mounts. I built a simple pulley into the rafters of my sliding roof for the direct purpose of lifting a 30kg scope nearly 7 feet onto it's mount. I would not dream of lifting the scope without some form of hoist.

You can see the rope & tackle on the wall behind me and the rope sling around the balance point of the scope tube in the photo below.