Push Away Shed Observatory - Pros and Cons etc.

[Alan White]

A general chat has been taking place about future retirement plans, not for a while yet, but best plan ahead, 
this is as per my dome line of questioning too in another thread, but looking at cost and aesthetics' as well.

I will likely move and down size, enabling me to have an observatory, if the new location allows (note it most certainly will!).
So my ponder is does a push away shed observatory become difficult with age and health?
I presently observe on a part open pad, it has fences on two sides, but if I made my Astro shed mobile, I could leave the kit set up.
Easier to observe and only a slid back of the shed... or is that too optimistic.

I do have an ongoing back issue at present, but hope to resolve that over the next 12-18 months.

So the above ponder has been verbalised and is now here on SGL, what do you fine folks know about this please?

[Swoop1]

Somewhere on here is the famous Tardis RORO obervatory.

I shouldn't think a small tool shed sized obsy is too heavy to move providing quality castors and a decent track are used.

[NGC 1502]

Hi Alan, good idea to plan ahead….

One alternative to a push away shed-

A fixed shed with a wide enough door without a step.   The scope can be on locking castors and wheeled out when required.   The scope will be much easier to move than a shed.  This would also mean a large Dob is suitable, pulling in more light to those aging eyes😊

A further thought-  Almost every garden has a shed, so your scope shed will not raise more unwanted interest to villains than any other shed.

Ed the Shed😊

[Peter Drew]

I have fixed "sheds"  that house 30", 20" and 17" Dobsonians plus one for a 50x 300mm binoscope and one under construction for a 150mm binoscope.  They are deployed only during suitable weather conditions.  Two run off housings ran off in gales!    🙂 

[Alan White]

Just now, Peter Drew said:

I have fixed "sheds"  that house 30", 20" and 17" Dobsonians plus one for a 50x 300mm binoscope and one under construction for a 150mm binoscope.  They are deployed only during suitable weather conditions.  Two run off housings ran off in gales!    🙂 

Thanks Peter, So to clarify the above,
Do the scopes run out of the sheds rather than the sheds move?

[paulastro]

32 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Thanks Peter, So to clarify the above,
Do the scopes run out of the sheds rather than the sheds move?

Yes, they run out on rails.

[JeremyS]

I had a roll off shed years ago, for a 10-inch Newtonian. Worked fine but not brilliant. Dome much better 😊

[wimvb]

I bought a small tool shed kit, which I used before building a larger ror observatory. The roll away shed was easy to operate. It also took less space than a proper ror obsy.

Top image, shed with 150PDS on AZ-EQ6.  Bottom image MN190 on AZ-EQ6 

[Carbon Brush]

When building my roll off observatory, I used an up/over garage door opener.
This was decided after a shoulder injury. But once tried, like car electric windows and central locking, it became a 'must have'😁
Essentially a low voltage (24V) motor with gearbox coupled to sprockets & chain giving linear movement.
Keeping the track the right way up to minimse water ingress and greasing every so often has kept it working since 2008.
The roof slides off to park over a pergola.
You could use the same principles to move a complete shed.

The first thing to remember whether moving a shed, or a roof, is strength.
Standard sheds have strength only when all sides are inplace, and a floor, and a roof.
The box is nailed together on all sides. As soon as you remove one panel strength, the whole thing becomes floppy.
Easily demonstrated with a cardboard box and parcel tape.

A further consideration is wind. A standard shed is held down by the bikes, mowers, etc. on the floor.
You need extreme weather for it to blow away.
A roof on castors, or even complete shed on wheels is a different proposition. It can easily become a sail.
You need to include something in the design to ground anchor.
My roll off uses 8mm pins on the roof that engage in holes in the top rail when the roof closes.
A similar scheme would work on moving a complete shed. Or use turnbuckles to something in the ground.

All the above problems/complexities are negated if you wheel out a scope.

Good luck with the build.

David.

 

[Alan White]

Thank you folks for all the input, this was a line of thinking for now at my present location.
I feel that the most sensible option is do nothing until I see the back specialist,
But I think a push back shed (not roof) will be the simpler and manageable option for here and now.

Watch my Observing Pad thread for the actions going forwards.
Again Thank You.

Edited Wednesday at 21:29 by Alan White

[Swoop1]

May I make a suggestion for push back regarding protecting your back?

A few folk on SGL have shown hand crank mechanisms for rotating domes etc. Could you perhaps consider a similar mechanism for moving your roll off? A hand crank made from a bicycle crank and chainring, driving one or two of the roll on/ off wheels of the obsy- saves pushing and pulling- just turn the handle.