EQ3-2 tripod upgrade?

[bigbox]

Hi simple straight forward question.

I'm wondering if it is possible to put my EQ3-2 mount onto an EQ5 tripod as i want more stability then the normal ali mount can give?

Cheers Ady

[hemihaggis]

i belive that would work , but there are other things you can do to beef up the tripod , putting a bag of sand (5 kilos) on the spreader tray works wonders

[Manx Engineer]

I have both EQ3-2 and EQ5 mounts/tripods and can confirm that they are interchangeable (the head of both tripods are the same). You might also consider adding a pillar extension (Orion US branded but I think Chinese-made by Synta).

Pillar Extension for EQ5/HEQ5 mount - Telescopes UK: Telescopes & Telescope Accessories in your only London shop

This raises the mount by 16" but then allows you to effectively shorten the tripod leg height (by not extending the legs) thereby increasing the stiffness of the overall assembly (and it keeps the mount at roughly the original height). Although advertised as an EQ5/HEQ5 pillar extension it does also fit the EQ3-2 mount and tripod head. I think this, along with hemihaggis' suggestion of a sand bag, will give a noticeable increase in stiffness. Oh... one other thing...might be worth checking all the fasteners are tight - over time they have a habit of working loose!

[bigbox]

Cheers guys for that info, i'll have a go with the sand bag idea for a start. Might just save up for a while and get an Eq5 or heq5 we shall see...

Clear skies to you all