Hi everyone. I’m looking for buying information on transits. What can you tell me about brands, features worth having, price-range, best place to buy from etc. It’s a new purchase & I’m starting from scratch. I need this for siting a sloped piece of property in order to design the house. I asume that’s what transits are used for, right? Thanks for helping out.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story

This floating home maximizes its waterfront location with seamless indoor-outdoor living, a unique two-story layout, and a design that prioritizes light and views.
Featured Video
Builder’s Advocate: An Interview With ViewrailHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
marilyn...
it sounds to me that you want a transit... or a level - transit
but depending on the size of the lot, and the change in elevation.. you could actually run your own topo / survey with a laser...
suppose your lot is 200 x 200.. .. if you KNOW where the corners are.. you could set up in the middle of the lot and pull distances and elevations off your initial station..
for homebuilding purposes, you do not need very accurate topos or surveys..
you could even do it with a locke level ( a sigting device with a bubble in it ) and a steel tape..
describe your lot and your project..
maybe , you'd be better off having a surveyor run a topo and set some stakes, rather than buying survey equipment
If all you are doing is trying to site the house for design purposes I would recommend renting one. Often times you can pick up late saturday and return monday morning for a 1 day rental fee. I did that in NH for 35.00 and got quite a bit done. Came with transit, tripod and measuring pole. Pretty good deal really.
Tom
Douglasville, GA
David White transits are a good brand on the low end of price.
Thanks for the information. I have found several excellent models made by David White at Amazon.com.
I have a David White with stadia. Stadia lets me measure distances by calculating the difference between the three horizontal lines in the sight glass as they read on the pole
It cost a little more than a simple leveling transit but IMO its worth it