PCH this is a great tripod on is much talked about in the US as the base for holding up portable Alt/Az mounts.
See here.
http://www.helix-mfg.com/hercules.htm
I was intending to get one of the special close out slight blemished ones for 75$
http://www.bigbinoculars.com/tradeins.htm
But cost of shipping it was high.
From all accounts on CN this is strong platform for portable setups.
Did you have yours shipped from the US, or did you get it locally?