AZ5 ( the Precious Mckenzie of mounts)

[Stu1smartcookie]

Hi , on Friday i took delivery of an AZ5 mount ( just 24 hours after ordering from FLO !!!). I had previously bought an adapter to convert my EQ5 tripod . Everything is rock solid . I had read that the AZ5 had a 5kg payload IF used with the aluminium tripod that it is paired with , however i read in the manual that the payload jumps to 9kg when used with a steel tripod . So armed with the info ,i set out  to hopefully prove that it can be done . Firstly i adjusted the mount so it sits in a more vertical position on the tripod..( there are two possible positions ) . I then with trepidation placed my scope onto the mount .. oh yeah , you need to know  what scope i am using ... well its the skywatcher explorer 200p . ( i can hear the purists cry NO at this point ) 

This scope weighs 8.3 kgs and with an eyepiece and a very lightweight RDF sits south of the 9kg max . Now , i really do understand why people would say that this shouldn't work , but , i have the tripod at the lowest level and the scopes length actually helps even the weight . I was pleasantly surprised how smooth the scope moved on the mount.

The skywatcher manual gave me the confidence to try this set up and i am glad i did . In the picture the scope looks huge but the balance is just right . Last night i gave the set up its first use . A great success . Probably not something to use when its very windy , but then again , i would say that is the same for all large reflectors on all mounts .

Maybe others have had good experiences using their mounts to its fullest capacity ?

Edited January 24, 2021 by Stu1smartcookie

[KP82]

Wouldn't the scope be limited in the altitude with this mount configuration? In order to point the scope at zenith, I believe the off-centre position on the AZ5 + the included mini pier are necessary.

[Stu1smartcookie]

To be fair it’s something I tried and I get very very close to the zenith .. I thought about a pier extension ( and there is a fairly solid one available ) but I wanted to keep the mount as rock solid as poss . I certainly would NOT use the mini pier that comes with the mount when you buy the aluminium tripod . I had one of those with another mount .. at best it makes a wobbly connection.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Stu1smartcookie

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

The AZ5 with the steel tripod does indeed have a max payload of 9kg. I extensively used a Startravel 120 which fully loaded was around 6kg and the mount worked perfectly. It's well suited for short refractors, cassegrains & newtonians.

Using the pier extension and adjusting the mount arm (instructions in the manual) to its 90° position will reduce the likelihood of the scope hitting the tripod at higher elevations.

 

[Stu1smartcookie]

2 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Using the pier extension and adjusting the mount arm (instructions in the manual) to its 90° position will reduce the likelihood of the scope hitting the tripod at higher elevations.

But would that small pier be strong enough for my scope? 

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

7 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

But would that small pier be strong enough for my scope? 

I imagine so, its construction seems solid enough. If you haven't tried adjusting the mount arm yet, give that a go first. It's just two screws to remove. Takes a couple of minutes.

FF to 15:40 for mount adjustment demo.

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Stu1smartcookie]

27 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

I imagine so, its construction seems solid enough. If you haven't tried adjusting the mount arm yet, give that a go first. It's just two screws to remove. Takes a couple of minutes.

FF to 15:40 for mount adjustment demo.

 

Yes adjusted the mount arm as the blurb says to do that when you have heavier scopes