On 7/31/2022 3:30 AM, Dale Ghent wrote:

2. Put the mount in Park 3....
3. Loosen the two large silver dovetail knobs on either side of the CW shaft. You can grab the saddle with one hand and the CW shaft with the other and pull up on the shaft. If the dovetail pins inside still catch, lower it back in place and unscrew the knobs some more. When the dovetail pins are sufficiently retracted, you can grab the CW shaft/bottom if the dec axes and pivot the entire dec axis up while also holding it securely by the saddle. Pivot it up from the bottom then lift it up and off the RA axis.

Dale's detailed instructions are spot-on.

As I built my observatory, I shot many photos. The third photo on this page: <http://house.mdodd.com/proj_obs_scope.html> shows the dovetail fitting on the RA unit, and the fourth photo shows one of the silver knobs that lock the RA unit in place.

My comments on that page say the RA unit weighs 31 pounds, and the CW shaft weighs 14 pounds, so if you leave the shaft attached, you're moving 45 pounds.

I recommend unscrewing the CW shaft. I was assembling my 1200 from cartons used to move it, so the CW shaft was not attached. I was thankful I had to lift only 31 pounds to the RA unit.

Hope the photos help.

--- Mike