Any ideas about maximum payload for EQ3 Pro?

[Welrod50]

Folks,

General shout please ....

Does anyone know what the maximum weight my EQ3 pro synscan will comfortably handle? It has 3.8kg counterweights, but I know I can go a bit beyond this really. My current SW 130 f900 OTA with EP weighs 4.8kg. My Pentax Kx attached piggybacked with lens adds another 1.2kg so in all it is 6kg. My thought process is to purchase a SW 150 PDS upgrade and either piggyback or prime focus the Kx. Will the mount handle this?

Cheers all.

Less snow, more sky

[cantab]

First Light Optics quote "

• Payload Capacity: Approx 5kg for imaging and 7kg for visual"
  

[JamesF]

For my standard EQ3-2 I'd say that's probably a little on the generous side, but if the Pro is a little more robust then it sounds reasonable.

James

[Capricorn]

TS have the same as FLO and as when imaging you need a bit in hand would guess you are over the safety margin already.

Second post asking the loading of an EQ3 Pro in about 3 weeks, must be more of them out there then I would expect.

The "pro" bit may be different tripod legs, steel not aluminium, but the head with all the drive bits and motors will be the same and as this is the driven part it will not take more than a standard EQ3. If the head were different then it would no longer be an EQ3 and Skywatcher would sell it as a new mount and charge for what may then be an EQ3-3.

[Planetesimal]

For my standard EQ3-2 I'd say that's probably a little on the generous side, but if the Pro is a little more robust then it sounds reasonable.

James

I'm up to 7.4 kg on my EQ3-2 now!

[Welrod50]

OK thanks folks. May need to have a bit of a re-think then. Ideally would like to upgrade to 150 PDS, but I am also quite taken by the 130 PDS which is lighter. My idea being that although I will lose a third of the focal length compared to the OTA I have now, I will gain a parabolic mirror and the capacity to prime focus, which will be good for wide field and less exposure time being it's an f5 optic (as opposed to f6.92 now). I do rather like the 130 f900 I use now but want something shorter for portability and I have to image through the EP at the mo which means I can't fit the whole of M45 in (amongst other niggles).

Watch this space....

And cheers