I have researched EQ6 piers quite a bit now but the majority of threads end in people knowing someone who fabricated them something and that’s the end. I have no experience in metal working nor do I know anyone who does.
I just want to know how you guys have pier mounted your EQ6s. I may be missing something but the hardest part seems to be getting an adapter to seat the mount head on.
I have been thinking about getting the Skywatcher pier mount (link below), not attaching the base/wheels and welding a plate onto the bottom the bolting it to the concrete. Can anyone see an issue with this?
The only issue is that it costs $400 and a DIY pier could potentially cost $100-200. The nice thing is though, is it comes with the EQ6 head on it. No need for an adapter.
So yeah, what have you done for your EQ6? Any help will be much appreciated.
This is what I did. http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...highlight=pier
The pier is bolted onto concrete slab, 0.65m deep and 0.4m in diameter, formed by pouring concrete into a hole in the ground.
The 6 bolts (M10x160mm) were inserted into fresh concrete and set.
man have a look for one of my posts of almost the same title, all the answers are in there. Total cost around $40 and some work from a good guy on these forums. im sure you can find someone with a lathe. I can attempt to dig up the plans if you wish, give me a week or 2 tho
If you want a cheap pier, look in your yellowpages for a steel fabricating shop, and ask for a quote to build the pier for you, most fabricating shops have a lathe and mill. You will be suprised how little most of them will chage you. My origional trade is a boiler maker/fabricator which i did for 10 years, we use to have people come in all the time, from fixing a broken handle on a lawn mower, to fabricating a custom transom mount for an outboard. Most of the time my boss would only chage people a case of beer or two. Possibly the cheapest way to do it. The commercial sold piers are stupidly over priced!!. If you find a structral welding shop most of them will have offcuts of pipe that would suit your pier and would charge you very little for it, Ive lost track of how many times i had loaded a truck with off cuts less than 2mtrs everything from "I" beams to 250 x 250 rhs. Give one a call, I think you will be pleasantly suprised!. Hope that helps a little, and good luck
I fabricated this pier (Pictured below) and it cost me $115 to build in materials.
Thanks for the suggestion, I have been looking for flanged gas mains pipe up in auction but they are so rare, this will be a good alternative.
I went to a place that sells fabricating steel (C-purlins and the like) and they had a yard full of odds and ends including bits of gas-pipeline with flanges and the like and was able to get a great 3 metre length for free. I did a bit of cutting and welding and bolted it onto a slab and ususing the bolts at the base to set levels - avoiding the need for a separate adjustment plate on top.
If you can't get good solid pipe, you can always use 2 sections of 6-inch C-Purlin back-to-back and bolted or welded together and with plates bolted top and bottom. Cheap as chips and more than stable enough for an EQ6.
Piers have been successfully made from Bolted up timber, old concrete pipes stood on end (mine) girder cut offs, home made tripods of various materials. I even know of a old solid tree stump that is being used as a base.
Bunnings is your friend with big bolts, threaded rods and galvanised hardware that can stand up to the weather.
I started with a braced length of 2" Galvanised water pipe and it worked ok for a small scope.
Managed to contact a couple of steel fabricators, I think with economics looming all I spoke to wouldn't be free but all came with a minimum charge $100.00 even to include gussets for stabilising. I was able to go as large as 200mm pipe.
Read all the previous posts, is there any newer experiences of a local supplier of pier adapters before I start trying to make one. Altair and Billetparts are options in the UK but they both seem out of stock according to their web site and $60 postage is too steep. The Skywatcher extension seems to be the only locally advertised alternative.
I order a billetparts adapter Roger. Not cheapest, but came in about 10 days and very happy. Bummer out of stock though. As many have said plenty of cheaper options if you have the time.
I have researched EQ6 piers quite a bit now but the majority of threads end in people knowing someone who fabricated them something and that’s the end. I have no experience in metal working nor do I know anyone who does.
I just want to know how you guys have pier mounted your EQ6s. I may be missing something but the hardest part seems to be getting an adapter to seat the mount head on.
I have been thinking about getting the Skywatcher pier mount (link below), not attaching the base/wheels and welding a plate onto the bottom the bolting it to the concrete. Can anyone see an issue with this?
The only issue is that it costs $400 and a DIY pier could potentially cost $100-200. The nice thing is though, is it comes with the EQ6 head on it. No need for an adapter.
So yeah, what have you done for your EQ6? Any help will be much appreciated.
The only issue is that it costs $400 Beats by dreand a DIY pier could potentially cost $100-200. The nice thing is though, is it comes with the EQ6 head on it. Beats by dre wireless No need for an adapter.
Hi Ian, I did. Thanks very much for your offer. I don't know if you realized but my original post is almost a year old now.
I ended up getting a second had pier off another IIS member. It has an adapter plate which is quite similar to the one above.
I never found a cheap solution to the adapter issue. I did get a few quotes done up from local metal fabricators and they did come in below the overseas options.
