Also consider your dec balance. Get all your gear loaded, place your shaft and OTA in horizontal position and check to see if you are nose or rear heavy in your scope. Slide forwards or backwards to adjust as needed. (bring it back to the verticle first, it's easier that way
) Keep sliding and adjusting until perfect.
Now if you want to get really pedantic, find a star, center it, and watch which way it drifts in DEC. If it drifts north and you are pointing either north then make the nose just a wee bit heavier, if pointing south make the tail a bit heavier.
Similar reason to the RA. If you have backlash then this should help prevent some of the backlash from affecting your guiding adjustments.