Best Balance System For Celestron C8 (Help)

Would like to balance out my C8. to where it doesn't drop suddenly when I release the DEC clamp. I have seen a rod & sliding weight system.. that spans from the rear cell to the front cell of the OTA. Is there a certain brand made for a C8 or is it a Celestron Factory item.. let me know if anyone has one or knows about them.. thanks all , JM

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Howdy, John.
That looks like a tricky rig to balance. You might think about adding some weights to the bottom of the right fork arm as well to balance that finder scope. It'll save your gears and clutches and might improve tracking.
Scopestuff.com sells a number of balance accessories and kits for SCT's.

Good hunting

I have a sliding weight system for the NS8GPS. It is supposed to be from Celestron. At least that is what the dealer said when I bought it. It works great for the big 31 Nagler and I also have the 80mm Russell Finder scope! IT is mounted to the bottom and the weight comes off easily and quickly when not in use. The long dove-tail does not get in the way at all. Worth the cost and really helps.
Floyd

Hello John & all,

I recently bought a used Losmandy setup here on ASTROMART, but haven't had time to try it out. Here's a link to the Losmandy site: http://www.losmandy.com/secondary.html#DWS which should give you some ideas.

Ed

P.S. Nice finder scope John.

P.P.S. There's a couple of ads for used balancing systems on the Classifieds that I read (partly for getting ideas). Here's an example: " http://www.astromart.com/viewad.asp?cid=206400 " of one for a 10 inch Meade that might feed your thought process (if you are inclined to "home brew" or "adapt a Ford part onto a Chevy" like I sometimes am tempted to do).