Transporting an assembled large dob

At the risk of sounding clueless...

Over the last few years, I've noticed people traveling with their large dobsonians, completely assembled, in a trailer or panel truck. It seems to me that would be a dangerous practice. Even if you had the entire assembly tied down, wouldn't the mirror slide back and forth, hitting the inside of the mirror box? Or wouldn't constant vibrating shake loose some parts, like the secondary mirror? Or worse still, suppose a rope came loose, and your 16" dob began sliding around and banging into the trailer's sides?

I hope I'm wrong about this, because I'd love to be able to transport a large dob without having to assemble and disassemble it every time.

Put transport locks/clamps on the primary mirror. This is a good idea whether the scope is assembled for moving or not. Don't forget to release the locks when observing.

Slip a bag over the secondary to keep it clean and secure the bag to the spider or better yet, remove the secondary holder and mirror from the spider and stow safely.

Cushion the scope in its resting place on the bed of the vehicle. If there is a need to secure it in place, use straps, not ropes. Bungy cords have their place but I never use them as the primary means of securing cargo. On a long haul, plan on checking the straps in the first half hour and at every stop thereafter.

Enjoy the ride!

dan

Your mirror in a large Dob would slide around just as much with the scope assembled or disassembled. In most designs, the mirror is restrained by a sling or keeper clips.

Vibration can be a problem with any mechanical device, but you check everything before you leave and probably during the trip.

Finally, although many people do transport their Dobs assembled, note that the latest scope designs assemble in less that 5 minutes - even the big 32" ones.

So it might be less trouble to buy a contemporary scope design that assembles fast, than to transport an older design, fully assembled scope.