Wheelbarrow Handles

The mount and scope have removable wheelbarrow handles to make it easy to roll the scope around as required.

The wheelbarrow handles attach with 5/16" diameter thumbscrews (bolts with wing nuts on the ends) that go into "T-Nuts in the sides of the rockerbox.  The yellow straps are wire-ties that capture the thumbscrews onto the wheelbarrow handles so they do not get lost in the grass in the dark!  The wheels are far enough away from the mount that the handles do not have to be removed from the mount for the mount to be used.  The ease and "quickness"of reinitializing the mount after its been relocated, and the convenience of the wheelbarrow handles not having to be removed allows me to pick up and move the mount to a different location as neighbor's lights come on, or targets move behind trees, etc. 

Note the lifting pads under the metal disk that forms the bottom of the rockerbox.  These are to relieve the weight of the scope from the drive roller when being transported.

Also note the "groundboard" does not extend all the way under the rockerbox.  There is no need to have it extend further forward than the two idler rollers on that front edge (since the feet for the ground board are directly under those idler rollers).  It also allows the groundboard and mount to be tipped forward onto the wheelbarrow handles easier.  And finally, it allowed me to use less wood for the groundboard! <grin>

As a final note, see the eyepiece shelf on the side of the rockerbox.  Very convenient!  Also, you can see the turnbuckle from the center of the altitude trunion down to the rockerbox to apply more downward pressure on the altitude drive roller to eliminate slippage,  making it a bit less critical to keep the optical tube balanced accurately.