hmm... for the moment i am going to leave everything as it is. i'll look into this more at a latter date (next year). thanks everyone for your input
i used the said scope on the weekend and it wasnt really that bad. i came torealise that alots depends on teh initial position of the focuser. if i start it in a lower position then it is a touch more managelable. i only had to use the bottom step of teh stepladder.