Vixen SP / travel mount question

[skysurfer]

Since many years I use my 1991 Vixen Super Polaris mount as travel mount to mount my Televue Genesis on it. So I do now during my Bali trip. The legs are replaced by lightweight 25x25mm hollow square aluminum profiles which saves 1 kg and as a counterweight I use a plastic bag with stones found locally so I do not need to take 3kg extra for the original counterweight. On the end of the counterweight bar and camera piggyback mount I can hang the stones bag on. I don't want to pay $40+ / kg for overluggage.

The question is now that on tropical latitudes such as Bali the axis lies virtually horizontal which results the barycenter of the mount shifts towards the counterweight (right on the photo) which results that the other two legs move easily.

Is there a way to work around this ? I already considered the iOptron Cube mount but that one has plastic gears / cogwheels and does not work without power supply.

[casstony]

You could rotate the mount 90 degrees such that the polar scope is vertical (instead of horizontal as shown in your photo), using the mount in an alt/az configuration.

[skysurfer]

That is OK vor visual observing but I also will take photos which require an EQ mount.

[casstony]

You could build another balance arm, perhaps a metal plate which clamps between the mount and tripod base.

[dannat]

Get a tripod with centre column hook & hang a bag of stones in the middle of the tripod under the column, does your tripe have central column to leg supports?

[skysurfer]

Finally I found it: I now use my SP mount both as altzaimuth and equatorial, dependant on what kind of use. For photos I use eq and for visual I use az and then I can control my scope like a Dobson. Only with high power I have to adjust two axes.

http://misc.nicejewel.com/sky/SP-az-eq.jpg