Counterweights are extremely heavy! Please use extreme
caution handling them during installation and removal.
After the counterweights are added, firmly tighten each of the counterweight knobs to ensure they do
not slip. Also, make sure to install the counterweight safety knob on the bottom of the counterweight
shaft.
Figure 43: As shown in the figure above, when the worm is engaged and no telescope or other equipment attached to the
Versa-Plate, please, never ever place any model Paramount mount in this orientation, not even with a single counterweight
as it will permanently damage the worm.
Figure 43 shows an extreme example of an out of balance German equatorial mount:
• The worm is engaged with the gear.
• The counterweight shaft is loaded with 27 kg (60 pounds) of counterweights.
• The Versa-Plate does not have a telescope or other equipment attached to offset the weight of
the counterweights.
If the RA worm and gear are engaged in this orientation, with this much counterweight, the resulting
extreme torque against the worm will either bend the precision worm gear and the enormous force
between the worm and gear teeth would cause the axis to rotate clockwise quickly and dangerously as
the teeth of the worm and main gear skip past each other.
Never place a Paramount that does not have any telescope or
other equipment attached in the above orientation!
Figure 43 shows the Paramount in an unstable configuration that places extreme and
potentially destructive lateral force on the teeth of the hour angle worm and gear. The
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