A dovetail bar mounted on the optical tube provides a convenient and practical way to attach it to a mount. In most cases, the dovetail bar is not attached directly to the tube but to two tube rings, allowing the optical tube to be rotated within the rings.
Thanks to its higher load capacity, the Losmandy dovetail bar can secure larger telescope optical tubes to mounts with compatible connections (e.g. HEQ-5, EQ-6, AZ-EQ6, EQ6-R, EQ-8, etc.). The dovetail bar is 76 mm wide, 335 mm long and 15 mm thick, with numerous holes available for optimal attachment.
The two outermost holes are spaced 310 mm apart, the next pair of holes is 70 mm apart, while the central holes are located 154 mm from the outermost ones. Starting from the slot designed to accept, for example, a 1/4" camera tripod screw, the first three threaded holes are 1/4", followed by an M6, a 1/4", and another M6 threaded hole.