Medium Size Universal Wheeley Bar Telescope Dolly

Save your back!

Our Universal Wheeley Bar Telescope Dolly is an easier and faster way to move mounted telescopes to and from observing locations.  Easily move, lock and level the complete telescope assembly from location to location without the need to disconnect and reconnect all the electrical and computer cabling during transport.  The standard wheeley bar is constructed of a sturdy steel base with locking wheels and leveling bolts.

Standard Wheeley Bars are designed to be used on hard flat surfaces only. With the optional 10" pneumatic wheel and tow handle upgrade can be used on grass, dirt and gravel surfaces.

Medium Wheeley Bars are rated to a maximum of 50 pounds including your tripod, mount, scope, and all accessories. This limit is especially important when going over uneven surfaces.  If your rig weighs over 50 pounds, please purchase one of our heavy duty models instead.  HD models are rated to 300 pounds.

Specifications:

• Maximum load: 50 lbs
• Tripod Tip receptacle (the hole in the end of the leg for the tripod) is 2-1/4″ I.D. Will not fit tripods with feet larger than 2 inches
• Tip-to-Tip Distance Range – 32.3 to 36.8 inches
• Standard Package comes with 2-3/8" Wheels and 1/2" Leveling Screws

Options:

• Upgrade to 5" diameter casters for a much smoother and improved ride across hard ground.
• Upgrade to 10" pneumatic tires for off pavement use.
• For all configurations, we recommend the addition of our tie down bracket kit to secure and stabilize your telescope setup to the Wheeley Bar.  The “Shorty” version requires the “Half Tie Down Bracket" kit.

What is Tip-to-Tip Distance?

To be sure that your tripod or pier will fit a particular Wheeley Bar product, it is necessary to verify the tip-to-tip distance of the mount tripod.

To measure the Tip-to-Tip distance of your particular observing / imaging kit, set up your telescope at observing / imaging height.  For a primarily visual observing setup, set your tripod height for a comfortable eyepiece height.  For a primarily imaging setup, set your tripod as low as it will go as you are trying to create the most stable, vibration free setup.  Remember to make allowance for the height of the Wheeley Bars, which raises your entire setup  by 6" for the caster model and  3” height increase for the pneumatic tire option.

To recap, the procedure is:

• Setup your tripod at observing height / imaging height
• Lower your tripod 6 inches if you are getting the 5" polyurethane wheels. Lower your tripod 3.5 inches if you are getting the 10" pneumatic wheels
• Measure the distance between two tripod tips. This is the distance you should use to choose between the  HD “Shorty”, the HD Medium or the HD Large Wheeley Bars.

Doorway Measurements - We often get questions regarding the width of our Wheeley Bars to determine if they will fit through a particular doorway. The following information should help in making that determination.

• For All Universal Wheeley Bars with the 10" Large Wheel Upgrade the doorway width must be three (3) inches wider than the tip-to-tip distance.

• For models with 360 degree swivleing casters the following applies for door clearance.
  • There are two basic measurements
    • The maximum width is measured in a similar fashion as the tip-to-tip distance except that the measurement is made to the outside corner of the legs or leveling screws (typically about 3" wider than the tip-to-tip measurement of a pointed tip tripod mount).
    • The minimum measurement is from the end of one leg to the inside measurement on the opposite side. This would help in determining the narrowest door that the Wheeley Bars could possibly be maneuvered/wiggled through.

These drawings linked below should help make these measurements clear.

PDF Layout Drawing for caster configuration.

PDF Layout Drawing for 10" pneumatic wheel configuration.

What Size Wheels Should I Purchase?

For hard surfaces, such as concrete sidewalks, with seams or cracks, the 5″ polyurethane wheels are best.

The large 10″ all-terrain pneumatic rubber-tire wheels are designed for field use on rough surfaces such as grass, dirt and gravel. However, great care must be taken in maneuvering on these surfaces, particularly when wet, because the wheels may sink below the surface.