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Takahashi Pier and Installation of Locking Casters

Started by lthaxton, 10/15/2008 01:44PM
Posted 10/15/2008 01:44PM Opening Post
A while back I asked a question about the size of the leveling bolts in the feet of my Takahashi pier. My question was driven by the desire to mount casters to the pier feet. The casters, available from McMaster-Carr (Part Number: 2460T54 $17.56 Each, Capacity 250 lbs), lock completely and make getting the scope out and into action quite simple. The factory bolts appear to be metric as the 1/2x13 bolts I had would not thread into the existing holes. Well, with a little trepidation I ran a 1/2x13 tap through the holes and it carved perfect threads. The 1/2x13 bolt of the casters fit as expected, but the metric bolts also fit perfectly, something I did not expect. Now the casters are in place and the scope will see a lot more use as I no longer have to disassemble the mount, carry it out in three trips, reassemble it outside and then do all of that over again when the evening observing session is over. If I decide to remove the casters, the factory bolts go right back in and the mount is "box stock" once again. Slick!