What is Tip-to-Tip Distance?

To be sure that your tripod or pier will fit a particular Wheeley Bar product, it may be necessary to verify the tip-to-tip distance of the mount.  Usually, this measurement is made with the legs of a tripod fully retracted (the shortest length) and spread out completely.  Alternately, you can measure at your preferred viewing height, but be sure to allow for the height of the Wheeley Bars (listed with each product).  The tip-to-tip distance is the measurement from the outside edge of the end of a tripod leg or pier foot (where it touches the ground) to the outside edge of another tripod leg or pier foot as illustrated below.

Here are some examples of different types of tripods and piers and where to measure.

For Custom Wheeley Bars, to be sure that your mount will fit into the receptacles, we also need to know leg or foot diameter and tip style.  For instance, on the mounts shown above (numbered from left to right), the following applies:

Doorway Measurements

We often get questions regarding the width of our Wheeley Bars to determine if they will fit through a particular doorway.  The following information should help in making that determination.  The following dimensions do not apply to Wheeley Bars that have been upgraded with large wheels.

There are three basic measurements as noted above.  The maximum width (X) is measured in a similar fashion as the tip-to-tip distance except that the measurement is made to the outside corner of the legs or leveling screws (typically about 3" wider than the tip-to-tip measurement of a pointed tip tripod mount).  The minimum measurement (N) is from the end of one leg to the inside measurement on the opposite side.  This would help in determining the narrowest door that the Wheeley Bars could possibly be maneuvered through.  A third measurement (W) is in between the other two and gives the width as measured form the end of one leg to the outside measurement of the opposite side.  The diagrams below illustrate the three measurements.

The illustration on the left shows the Universal Wheeley Bars turned so they can be pushed through the doorway based on the NORMAL width (W) without having to do any special maneuvering.  The second illustration shows the Universal Wheeley Bars being maneuvered by twisting them through the doorway based on the absolute MINIMUM dimension (N).  The third illustration shows the Wheeley Bars being blocked from moving though a doorway because they are positioned such that the MAXIMUM profile (X) is being presented.

Universal Wheeley Bars are called Universal because they are made to be adjustable to handle various sizes of mounts.  This means that the measurement we have been talking about can vary depending on the in-out adjustment of the Wheeley Bar legs.  The table below shows the minimum and maximum for the different widths indicated by the variable W, N and X.