[ETL]

For those that don't know, Dobsonian mounted telescopes pivot in 2 directions. You simply swing it around by hand, although they did eventually come out with motorized Dobsonian mounts.

[DBrow]

Another key factor is a very lightweight mirror (a thickness to diameter ratio of 2 or even 1.5 vs 6 for a “standard” mirror), plus the extensive use of recycled or repurposed materials. Lots of 12” Dobs were made with a salvaged porthole glass.