I've attached a couple of photos of the Hitch Hiker with the optional side-saddle holding a 72 mm astronomical telescope, a 2" star-diagonal, and a somewhat heavy 2" eyepiece with an 18 mm focal length. One of the photos shows the lever-operated quick-plate clamp.
This particular telescope is rather heavy for its 72 mm aperture -- mostly because of the very heavy focuser it incorporates. The combination of heavy focuser, heavy star-diagonal, and heavy eyepieces pushes the balance-point back towards the eyepiece. Thus, this is a fairly extreme case in terms of fore/aft balancing. I've rotated the focuser a little to improve telescope clearance with the mount when aimed near the zenith. With scopes that don't present such an extreme fore/aft balance configuration, this precaution would not be needed.
The scope, as shown in one photo, is aimed almost vertically. It is actually the star-diagonal bumping against the top of the tripod that limits the rotation towards the zenith. Using a smaller 1-1/4" star-diagonal would eliminate this problem. The upcoming tripod quick-release will provide another solution -- along with other advantages. But even as pictured, the scope can be aimed very near the zenith.
The Hitch Hiker's compound-lever quick-plate clamp is very tight -- holding the scope quite firmly
Charles
Hitch Hiker Update -- July 13
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