The Scope Buggy - Essential Astro Accessory

THE SCOPE BUGGY

I recently bought and sold a Celestron C-14 on a CI-700 mount. Though the telescope had some issues with the drives and I eventually sold it, while I had it I purchased this accessory for it. The Scope Buggy is so good that I kept it when I sold the telescope.

I would like to have a permanent observatory, but there are many trees in my yard, and anywhere I put an observatory I would have much of the sky blocked. With the Scope Buggy, I can simply move the scope around the trees and observe anywhere in the sky.

The Buggy was ordered from a dealer in the northwest and drop-shipped directly from the factory in Elephant Butte, New Mexico. It took only about five days to arrive. It was well packed in a custom made cardboard box. Included were excellent instructions and a free copy of Astronomy Technology Today. Assembly took about 45 minutes. The Buggys come with custom sockets to fit your tripod. In my case, the hollow legs of the CI-700 fit nicely down over the sockets. The whole thing looked like it was made for the telescope. The construction is all steel and the welding is very well done.

Pulling the Scope Buggy around is accomplished with a T-bar attached to the front wheel. It is just like pulling around a light aircraft with a tow bar. With the big 10" pneumatic tires, the Buggy moves very easily, even with a large instrument on board. Once in place, the Buggy has three screws with knobs on them which can be screwed into the ground to affix the telescope. However, I found that simply turning the front wheel 90 degrees sideways was all it took to keep the Buggy in place. There comes the only negative I can see about the Buggy. The T-bar is awfully easy to trip over, but detaching it is a pain out there in the dark. I just position it to whichever side I won't be standing on, and it is no problem.

Being on pneumatic tires gives your telescope a shock absorbing feature which is amazing. There was so little shake when focusing that it was worth it to have the scope on the Buggy just for this!

The Scope Buggy is so good that I think just about everybody ought to have one. Even with a lighter scope, it makes things much more enjoyable to just be able to wheel it out. You can attach your power supply and eyepiece case and take everything out in one trip. The product is made in the USA by a real nice guy and the price is very reasonable for the quality. Although the Buggys are custom made for each mounting's tripod, I found that with a little duct tape I could attach most any telescope. This is perhaps the most useful telescope accessory I have ever come across.

I have no connection to the Scopy Buggy folks. I am just a very happy customer. Glen Ward Bridgeport, WV