Transportable Concrete Base Pier

[Eggmoon (Geoff)]

Hi,

Looking for a sanity check.

I rent (sanity looking shaky already) and I telescope (sanity almost all gone) and it's a pain to have to lug everything into the backyard, level, align, pull it all apart, each time I want to take some pretty space pics.

Sure, I know where south is... can align reasonably quickly... but there is a lot of angst sometimes... tripods can get bumped.... sink into soggy Melbourne ground.... you know, the general stuff.

I thought about making myself a concrete block... 35cm x 35cm x 35cm, and bolting a short pier to the top of it. I could get one of those moving trolleys under it to move it if I move house. Yes.... it might slowly move out of alignment of south over time... but a bit of push and shove to keep it level, plus alt and az adjustments on my EQ6Pro mount should be able to compensate in small increments. The only thing I'd have to fix if I move is to re-plant a small patch of lawn. And I'd quickly have a pier in any new house by just plonking the block in the new yard.

Now, by my rough calculations (thank you Mr Google) 35cm cube of concrete weighs around 86Kg.

Mount weighs about 16Kg I think.... max payload 23Kg, which I don't go near... plus counterweights.



Now.... the big questions....

Do people think an 86Kg block of concrete will be stable enough??

Does the idea have any merit?

Why does Bundy Rum make a telescope work better?

Any foreseeable problems?

My wife suggested being able to mount a secondary clothes line on top of it for her occasional use, should I divorce her?

Anyone done this type of thing before?

Why 42?

Thoughts, questions, complaints, queries?

Geoff.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Thinking minimalist if I was in your position I'd make 3 small holes on a 500mm radius circle concentric with your pier location, may be 400mm deep and fill them with concrete and a threaded rod. That's something you can cover back under the grass. Then you can pin the legs/gussets of a custom made pier. And you can take the pier with you when you move around. And possibly do it again.

[Eggmoon (Geoff)]

Along the lines of your thinking there my sister suggested three "Ground Screws", which can be extracted and taken with you.

I was just thinking the concrete block is complete in itself, and fairly easy. Pick it up on a trolley. Move it. Place it facing south. Job done.

[mura_gadi (Steve)]

Hello,

Maybe try a pier on a large flat base, the base the same size as a few water tanks with holes in them, so you can stack them. Umbrella stands and temporary fences use them, at 200ltrs you have 200kilo and its drainable to a few kilo's.

You can then either look at a sand base or a smaller slab to break up on leaving. If you pad between the pier and the bases you should get little play in between them. Also trying to reset your 80kilo+ concrete block later will be cumbersome.


Steve
As for 42, I think it was 6x8, but that was long ago.

[AstroApprentice (Jason)]

I started digging a ditch in my lawn a couple of years ago and discovered a complete surface of paved bricks ~15 cm below the grass. Similarly, I imagine you could put in a permanent concrete footing for a removable pier and lay some turf over it when moving on. You can use removable ankascrews to bolt your pier to it. You'll lose the cost of the concrete when you move, but it will be cheaper than the chiro visits if you try take the block with you!

Originally Posted by multiweb

Thinking minimalist if I was in your position I'd make 3 small holes on a 500mm radius circle concentric with your pier location, may be 400mm deep and fill them with concrete and a threaded rod. That's something you can cover back under the grass. Then you can pin the legs/gussets of a custom made pier. And you can take the pier with you when you move around. And possibly do it again.