Heavy duty dovetail suggestions?

[ChrisM]

I am looking for a heavy duty dovetail saddle that could comfortably handle a 40 kg load. The existing dovetail bar is a Losmandy DM14 (23.75" long) and I would be happy to beef up that part of the connection too.

Any suggestions welcome!

Cheers,
Chris

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

Chris,
Which mounting does the saddle have to fit??

[ChrisM]

Originally Posted by Merlin66

Chris,
Which mounting does the saddle have to fit??

Ken - it will be bolted to an AP 1200.

[JohnG (John)]

Probably one of the best:

http://www.robincasady.com/Astro/dovetail.html

Cheers

[ChrisM]

Thanks John. That one looks pretty solid.

I've also been looking at an AP DOVELM162 that is a couple of inches longer at 16", so would give more support to the long dovetail bar.

Chris

[Marke (Mark)]

I have the 16" AP on my Mach1 and it is quite substantial to say the least
it would have no trouble with 40kg it also has 3 clamps.

[ChrisM]

Originally Posted by Marke

I have the 16" AP on my Mach1 and it is quite substantial to say the least
it would have no trouble with 40kg it also has 3 clamps.

Thanks Mark,
I like the idea of 3 clamps, and that model provides a much more robust clamp than the shorter 2 pin version (that was present during the earthquake).

If I keep the same DM14 dovetail bar, an option is to stiffen it by bolting a solid block of aluminium between it and the scope.

Chris