Farpoint D-Size Saddle Conversion for Sky-Watcher EQ6 / Orion Atlas

Product Overview

The Farpoint FDSEQ replaces the small Vixen-style saddle fitted to older Sky-Watcher EQ6 and Orion Atlas mounts with a complete 7″ D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle. It is a drop-in unit: the three screws already holding the stock puck are what hold the Farpoint saddle. Machined from aluminum with a black anodized finish, published weight 1.063 lb, CNC-machined in the United States.

Who It’s For

• This is a good match if your EQ6 or Atlas came with the narrow Vixen puck and the tube you want to carry rides on a D-size bar.
• This is a good match if you are loading the mount closer to its capacity and want a longer clamping span under the dovetail.
• This is a good match if you would rather change the saddle than keep an adapter stacked on top of the stock one.

Key Features & Design

• Full 7″ D-size saddle: the complete Losmandy-standard profile, not a plate bolted over the original.
• Drop-in fit: it mounts on the screws that already hold the stock saddle puck, so no new holes are involved.
• Reversible: the original saddle goes back on the same screws whenever it is wanted.
• Black anodized aluminum: machined from aluminum and anodized black to match the mount.
• Published weight 1.063 lb: close to what the stock puck weighs, so the mount’s balance behaviour changes little.
• CNC-machined in the USA: Farpoint machines the saddle in the United States.

Mechanical Design

The stock EQ6 and Atlas saddle is a short Vixen puck, and a short puck grips a dovetail over a small span. With a heavy tube that span becomes the weak link: the bar can rock in the saddle, and any play there shows up at the eyepiece and in guiding. The Farpoint unit swaps the whole puck for a 7″ D-size saddle, which does two things at once. It lengthens the clamped span along the dovetail, and it moves the joint to the wider Losmandy profile, where the dovetail walls are further apart and better placed to resist the tube’s twisting moment. The mounting interface is unchanged — the same screw pattern on the declination axis carries the new saddle — so the conversion is mechanical rather than structural, and it undoes as easily as it goes on.

Recommended Uses

• Putting an SCT or refractor that already wears a D-size bar onto an older EQ6 or Atlas.
• Imaging rigs on an EQ6-class mount, where the saddle joint is one of the last remaining sources of flexure.
• Consolidating a mixed setup onto one dovetail standard so tubes swap between mounts without adapters.
• Refreshing a used EQ6 or Atlas whose stock puck is worn or marked.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

• Mounts: Sky-Watcher EQ6 and Orion Atlas carrying the standard (older) saddle profile.
• Dovetail standard accepted: D-size (Losmandy-style) bars.
• Saddle length: 7″.
• Installation: loosen the stock puck screws, fit the complete unit, re-tighten. No machining or drilling.
• Material and finish: black anodized aluminum.
• Origin: CNC-machined in the United States.

Tell us your scope and mount — a photo of the stock saddle is enough — and we’ll confirm the fit.

Good to Know Before You Order

• The EQ6 family shipped with more than one saddle profile. This unit fits the standard, older profile; Farpoint publishes a profile diagram, and a photo of your mount’s puck lets us match it against that drawing for you.
• No dovetail bar is included. This is the saddle conversion alone, and it pairs with a D bar already on the tube or with a universal D-size bar.
• The saddle accepts D-size bars. A tube still carrying a V-size (Vixen) bar would move to a D bar to use this saddle.
• Published weight is 1.063 lb. Shipping is calculated on a rounded 2 lb.
• The change is reversible. The stock puck refits on the same screws, which matters if the mount is later sold on with its original parts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to install?

No. The screws holding the original saddle puck come loose, the stock saddle lifts off, the Farpoint unit goes on in its place, and the same screws are re-tightened. There is no machining, no drilling, and the job reverses just as easily.

Will it fit my mount?

It fits Sky-Watcher EQ6 and Orion Atlas mounts with the standard, older saddle profile. The EQ6 family was built with more than one profile over the years, so the stock puck is worth comparing against Farpoint’s profile diagram — or send us a photo of your saddle and we’ll do the comparison.

Is a dovetail bar included?

No. This is the saddle conversion only. It works with the D bar already on your telescope or with one of the universal D-size bars.

What does the conversion actually gain?

A 7″ D-size clamping span in place of the short Vixen puck, which is a longer and wider joint between tube and mount — the difference shows up as less flexure and less rocking under a heavy load.

Bottom Line

In short: a 7″ Losmandy D-size saddle that takes the place of the stock Vixen puck on an older EQ6 or Atlas, fitted with the mount’s own screws, 1.063 lb as published, and fully reversible.