I was hoping for a few more orders....I must be order number 4 for the 5th shipment....have the same configuration and colour that you have ordered....but am considering 3 bays...... your proposed set up on the trailer will allow you to go to dark sites...excellent....looking forward for your pics....cheers Tom
I was given a rough freight estimate ADL-DWN of 2K.
I can drive down and bring it back on a trailer for half that in fuel cost. Am waiting for some quotes now that delivery is close.
Re: putting it on a caravan chassis, the original caravan floor will stay, and I will make a new floor at top of the wheel arches. This will give about 300mm of underfloor storage. Room for battery bank, underfloor cabling, spare tyre etc.
I am working up some design ideas of a heavy tripod base which will sit on the ground, the pier will bolt to this, and come up into the pod through a well. If I make the well rectangular, it will allow me to offset the pier as needed. The base will be raised and bolted to the chassis when moving.
If I was going to put the pod on a fixed site, I reckon I would build a two-floored deck, to have underfloor storage.
I have a lot of trees on my block, so a mobile pod has advantages.
That's good news Tom,
I hope yours comes quicker than mine.
I remember when I placed the order that Matt and Trish said they might consider buying a couple to have for stock if they could not fill the container. That was back last July though.
I imagine they would be able to sell them fairly easily.
Cheers Phil
Has yours been delivered yet, or are you waiting on a full container?
I am considering proposing this to the dear wife, instead of building my own. The concrete slab out the back (while not perfect, decking would be better) would be just the right size for a pod and one bay. I've emailed Matthew, and am awaiting a reply.
H,
I'd suggest you keep trying to contact Matthew. I got an email from him last week to say they had received the latest shipment, and had two spare pods for sale. They are probably away doing deliveries so they might not be able to reply to emails straight away.
I received my pod with one bay in the previous shipment and am still working on the installation. It's mounted on a 3mt x 2.3mt trailer. I cut a rectangular hole in the trailer floor and am presently working on a pier/tripod which will retract up into the pod for transport
Phil
I'm thinking that it will make a worthwhile interim solution. I have a very limited area in the yard where I can erect an observatory. It just so happens that the best place for it already has a 3.5 x 2.5m concrete slab. It will be fine for the one bay pod.
I'll try contacting again after a week.
How long did you have to wait for delivery after ordering?
G'day H,
I ordered my pod from Matthew last July and didn't get it until early March. They seem to be getting popular.
Have you considered putting a wooden deck over the concrete slab?
The advantage would be that -
The deck floor would be isolated from the pier
You could run all cables underneath, no trip hazards
Storage space for batteries etc
Probably be easier to keep the inside dry.
I am implementing these ideas on the trailer. I had bought a trailer which was a steel frame on an old caravan chassis. But I ended up with a 3m x 2m trailer from a workmate who built it to cart quad bikes. It's built like a tank.
I have put a wooden floor on it, both for extra width needed for the pod, and also for the ideas mentioned.
I am also planning for solar power and am going to install a couple of 12v fans which which direct cooler air from under the trailer up into the dome. I am hoping it will also help to keep humidity a bit lower. Always a problem here in the wet season.
Cheers Phil
....cheers Tom
Cheers Tom
