I was going to get some of those foam, colored swimming pool noogles to place around the shaft. I am also going to re-order the weights on the shaft to see if I can eliminate the shaft extension. I have the 30# weights closest to the RA Axis with the 24# and 10# below them. The shaft extension joint is under the 10# weight and I need to remove this weight to be able to put the safety knob on the shaft. With the weights re-ordered, I should be able to eliminate the shaft extension - that is what I normally bump into.