Click to Enlarge OTA + Base strapped to trolley

My house and yard isn't an ideal design for observing.. In my back yard I have a few "prime" flat observing areas, but from those areas tall gumtrees obscure my view of the north and west sky. So that means I need to move my scope around my backyard during an observing session to find areas where the trees aren't in my way.

Also with my house being on a sloping block, the garage is under the house, so moving the OTA + base to and from downstairs in the garage where it was stored, was going to get boring very quickly.

I'd only had my telescope for 2 days when I'd had enough of carrying the OTA + base in two trips every time I needed to shift it.

My first thoughts were to construct a 4-wheeled dolly to sit the scope on and pull it around, however the castors were costly and it wasn't going to help me get it up and down stairs.

I had a better idea to use a Trolley (or hand-truck), similar to this one that I searched on the 'net for. Keep reading to find out what you need and how it works..

Click to Enlarge Side view

The following is a list of parts you'll need to create a useable transport trolley for your dobsonian base + OTA.

• Big W trolley/hand-truck (cost me AU$29.95)
• Polystyrene-foam packing from original OTA box
• 2 octopus straps

To transport your dob:

1. Slide the trolley under the base. Find a spot in-between the feet of the base where you can slide the trolley in as far as it can go. The rocker box should be turned in such a way that the OTA tilts in the altitude direction in line with the trolley, not from side to side.
2. Take the foam packing and hold it agains the top of the trolley, and tilt the OTA back so that it sits in the carved out semi-circle.
3. Use 1 octopus strap to tie the top-end of the OTA and hold it firmly against the foam packing.
4. Use the other octopus strap to tie the bottom end of the OTA, down near the top of the dob base.
5. You should now be able to lean the trolley back and pull (probably safer than pushing) the trolley with the base + OTA safely attached

It's worth noting that "slow and steady" still wins the race, as you don't want any nasty accidents while transporting your expensive telescope..

I now leave my scope setup in this position, with the dust-cover on, so that I can easily drag my telescope outside via the stairs or path up to the back yard.

Click to Enlarge Front view