Pier
The pier as designed and constructed is overkill for an 8" LX200 but can therefore accept a larger scope in the future. I chose a height of 39" despite the "standard" height of 42". I did this for several reasons but the most important was that is where I was using my Meade tripod.
The pier is constructed of steel. The main column is 6" x 6" x 1/4" square steel tube. The base plate and the two top plates are 10" x 10" x 1/2" steel. Gussets are 1/4" steel. Mounting and leveling bolts are 3/4" in diameter. I designed the pier so that the base mounted on a footing of concrete 8" below grade so as to replace the sod and if I ever needed to remove the pier, I would simply fill in the hole and leave the concrete base in.
Here are some pictures and narrative:
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The base for the pier is a 30" diameter, 15" thick slab of concrete. This took 12 bags of concrete (at about 0.5 cu. ft. per bag). The mounting bolts are 3/4" with 4" protruding below the 1/8" steel template. The bolts were tack welded to the underside of the plate. |
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Here is the finished pier prior to installation. The lower 1/2" plate and gussets are welded to the base of the main steel column. |
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The lower of the two 1/2" thick top plates is welded to the main column. 3/4" threaded rod and 3/4" nuts and washers are used to construct the leveling mechanism for the top plate. |
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This view shows the wedge mounting surface. It is constructed of a 2 1/2" thick slab of 6" diameter aluminum. The interface is the same as the field tripod with the exception that the surface of the aluminum slab is faced off to be flat and smooth. A 1/2-13 stainless bolt comes up through the center of the slab (shown here with a temporary nut to keep it in place). |
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The pier mounted to the concrete footing. The footing is approximately 8" below grade. |
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The finished product. The top surface of the aluminum slab is 39" from the ground. The slab was leveled to make wedge leveling as minimal as possible. (Note: the wet spots near the base are not from the neighbor's dog trespassing through my yard and mistaking the pier for a fire hydrant, but wet areas from watering the sod after it was replaced). |