Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 11 lb Counterweight

Product Overview

This is Sky-Watcher's 11 lb counterweight for the AZ-EQ6. It slides onto the mount's counterweight shaft and locks in place, and it is supplied singly — one weight per order — so a mount can be built up to whatever total the load on the saddle needs.

Who It's For

AZ-EQ6 owners who have added mass to the saddle since the mount arrived: a larger tube, a heavier dovetail, a guide scope on top, or a camera, filter wheel and off-axis guider hanging off the back. When the shaft runs out of travel before the mount balances, another 11 lb of counterweight is what restores it. It is also the replacement part if a weight has been lost or damaged.

Key Features & Design

• 11 lb of counterweight mass: the figure Sky-Watcher publishes for this weight. On a German equatorial the counterweight sits well out from the RA axis, so 11 lb placed at distance balances considerably more than 11 lb of telescope near the saddle.
• Built for the AZ-EQ6 shaft: Sky-Watcher lists this weight as working on AZ-EQ6 mounts, so the bore and the locking arrangement match that mount's shaft.
• Sold individually: one weight per unit, which is how a mount gets tuned — weights are added or moved rather than swapped for a different size.
• No moving parts: it slides on, it locks, and it stays put. Nothing to maintain, calibrate or power.

Recommended Uses

• Balancing a heavier imaging train: restoring RA balance after a camera, filter wheel or focuser has been added behind the scope.
• Moving to a larger telescope: a bigger tube on the same AZ-EQ6 usually needs more than the weight originally supplied.
• Fine balance control: a second weight low on the shaft lets the upper weight be positioned more precisely, which matters for east-heavy balance in autoguided imaging.
• Replacement: a like-for-like weight for a set that is short one.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

Sky-Watcher publishes fitment as AZ-EQ6 mounts. That is the statement they make, and it is the one we stand behind — we have not carried it across to the EQ6-R, the CQ350 or the EQ8 family, which have their own weights.

Sky-Watcher does not publish the bore diameter for this counterweight, and they do not publish a shaft diameter alongside it. Because the bore is the one dimension that decides whether a weight goes on a shaft at all, that is a gap worth closing before ordering rather than after. Send us your mount model and, if you can, a caliper reading across the counterweight shaft, and we will confirm the fit for you — or measure the shaft on a mount here and compare.

The weight fits over the shaft the mount already has; it does not include a shaft, a toe-saver or an extension bar.

Good to Know Before You Order

• One weight per unit: the price and the SKU cover a single 11 lb counterweight. A mount needing two takes two units.
• Bore and shaft diameter are not published: Sky-Watcher states AZ-EQ6 compatibility and the 11 lb mass, and nothing about dimensions. Rather than quote a figure we cannot source, we will confirm the shaft fit with you directly.
• Two published weight figures exist: the AZ-EQ6 counterweight is described by Sky-Watcher as 11 lb, while their own shipping record for the same item lists 12.0 lb (5443 g). The 11 lb figure is the counterweight's rated mass; the higher number reflects packing.
• Shaft capacity is finite: a shaft holds only so many weights before running out of length. If two weights are already on the shaft and balance is still not reached, the fix is usually an extension bar rather than a third weight.
• Handling mass: 11 lb concentrated in a small disc is dense for its size, and it is loaded onto a shaft at chest height in the dark. Fitting the shaft's retaining bolt before the weights go on is what keeps a dropped weight off your foot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to set up?

No. It slides onto the counterweight shaft and the locking knob clamps it in position. Balancing is a matter of sliding it up or down the shaft with the clutches released until the tube stays put wherever it is left.

How heavy is it?

Sky-Watcher publishes 11 lb for this counterweight.

Which mounts does it fit?

Sky-Watcher publishes it as working on AZ-EQ6 mounts. That is the only fitment they state.

What shaft diameter does it take?

Sky-Watcher does not publish a bore or shaft diameter for this weight, so we do not quote one. Send us your mount and we will confirm the fit against a measured shaft before you order.

How many will I need?

That depends on the total mass on the saddle and how far out on the shaft the weights sit. Tell us the telescope, dovetail and imaging train you are balancing and we will work through it with you.

Bottom Line

An 11 lb Sky-Watcher counterweight for the AZ-EQ6, sold one at a time so a mount can be balanced to whatever is actually on the saddle. Shaft diameter is not something Sky-Watcher publishes, so we will check the fit with you before it ships.