[Poita (Peter)]

I've started this thread up so as not to hijaak the other thread on pier design.

I don't believe in putting an adjustable plate/cage on top of a pier, purely because I see it as unnecessary as you should get the pier levelled and aligned during the construction phase, and the mount-head should have enough adjustment within it to pick up from there.
I think adding extra materials, complexity and $$$ rarely makes sense if there is no real payoff, or can be avoided.

I am interested from a purely knowledge gaining point of view though whether they weaken the design in enough of a way to affect imaging, or or example in lengthening the damping down time if the mount it slewed quickly (like when traking satellites) or focusing etc. (Just like I was interested in actual Losmandy vs Vixen bar compares)

Or are piers just generally over-engineered, and way exceed the specs required?

Has anyone got any empirical evidence of a cage on top of a pier causing problems with imaging?