Heq5 Pro Max Payload

[ribuck]

Hi Guys,

I've been looking online for the maximum payload for a Heq5 pro and i can only see mention of Max tube weight of 15kg.

I just added a Skytraveller 80mm as a guide scope to me 8" Explorer 200mm tube. Now i'm assuming the standard white ocunter werights are 5kg each, i've just added another 7kg to balance the scope.

So in total i have 17kg as counter balance, is this too much for a Heq5 pro, or do i need to drop back down to the standard 10kg supplied and get a longer weight extension bar instead ?

Rich.

[Beardy Bob]

I've just had a similar discussion this afternoon (about the syntrek rather than the pro, but they're both essentially the same with regards to payload)!

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-help/87898-imaging-platforms-am-i-right-track.html

I think that basically, you would be very much on the edge of what it can take with that, and you may struggle if you begin adding extras. I did quite an extensive search on the topic before I posted my question and I remember seeing at least one other person with exactly the same as you (80mm refractor and 200mm reflector) on an HEQ5.

[ribuck]

I just worked it out, with the my ccd, filterwheel, focuser, guidescope / tube rings etc i'm coming in at around 13kg, am i pushing the Heq5 pro ?

I'm reading in some places it can only handle 10kg load and other says 15kg, does any know the max payload this mount can handle ?

[Euan]

Hi Rich,

I have the same setup as you, and when I switch the 8" newt to my Equinox 80, it makes a huge difference to the auto-guiding.

I suspect this kind of rig is right on the limits of what this mount can do, infact so much so that in some positions, auto-guiding can be much harder than it should be

I'm probably one of a long list of HEQ5 users who wish they had got an EQ6!!

[steve51450]

you are still a good few kilos under the limit and the heq5 has better guiding and pe than the heq6 although its pointing is not as good

the only thing is, is that it is not just about the weight a 8" newt is a big old flag to have waving about on a windy night where as the eq6 will handle it better

[ribuck]

Hi Steve's i'm in an Obs, so dont need to worry about the wind. Do you know what the supposed max payload is for the Heq5 pro ??

[steve51450]

Skywatcher Equatorial Telescope Mounts

15kg

i had an ed80 as well as a 6inch newt with all the works on mine last year and it did not flinch but if you are obsy based i would future proof myself to a certain extent as you never know when a 8" newt will become a 190mm mak newt for instance and its way better for a mount to jog along all evening rather than struggle its taters off

[ribuck]

Great looks like i've got 2 kilo's spare on the tube / accessory side of things, just not sure why it's taking 17kg to counter balance it......??

[Merlin66]

Where is your 17Kg of counterweight positioned????

I've been using the HEQ5pro for a few years now and never had any problems.

[brendant]

It would be better to get an extended counterweight bar rather than adding 17Kg of counterweight, a longer bar will allow the existing weights to be positioned further away increasing their effectiveness.

Brendan

[ribuck]

Hi brendan, I was thinking along those lines myself, as less weight on the mount is better over all.

There's another order to be placed.....

Bern.............lol.

[Parallax]

I too had the 8" newt, ST80, QHY5, Atik 16, & filter wheel on the HEQ5 Pro (with longer extension bar). I could usaully go upto 5 min subs but it was flexing quite a lot. I have, just this week, changed the newt for the C80ED and the (weight) difference really shows. As euan said; should have gone for the EQ6.

Steve

[ribuck]

when people mention Flexure or flexing of the tube, what does it mean ? the OTA bends ?

[Parallax]

Heaven only knows what it is that moves.

Somewhere/somehow the imaging scope moves in relation to the guiding scope.

Steve

[steve51450]

I think differential flexure means the optical tube of your guide scope is flexing at a different rate to your main imaging scope and this will affect your star shapes in your final image

[Ant]

Changing the HEQ5 for an EQ6 will make no difference at all to the flexure between the two scopes.

Ideally what you need to do is beef up the side by side bar, get better/stronger dovetail bars and maybe improve the tube rings.

The ADM / Astrodevelopements systems seem quite good, they are wider and much more stability than the usual SbS dovetails.

But they are more money!

Ant

As euan said; should have gone for the EQ6.

Steve

[Cos-Mossy]

hi there im thing of buyin a new OTA for my HEQ5 no goto no syntek mount and

waz lookin at gettin the Celestron 9.25 stc for my mount but im a little confused though as iv been to variose scope outlet sites and they quote different weights for the C.95 ota version ,eg one site says it weighs 33.11 kg and harrisons scopes says it weighs 9.07 kg ??? and the limit of my standard HEQ5 mount is i think 18kg so i need a real weight for this ota if im goin to get the right scope for my mount ,do u think my mount would handle the wieght ? could anyone help ? thanks

[Cornelius Varley]

Definitely not 33.11kg. The C9.25 OTA weighs 9.07kg (about 20lbs) and the HEQ5 will handle it.

Peter

[Cos-Mossy]

ok great !! thats cleared a few things up for me , thanks