What mount is this?

Not sure what your budget is Frank, but if you want to buy a mount, and never have to buy another, have a look at the AP900. As far as I remember, that'll hold a C14 no bother. I think the AP Mach1 is a bit lightweight.

The AP900 is expensive but the waiting list is short since they increased production facilities. If you can stretch that far, I guarantee you will never be disappointed and it'll hold whatever you stcik onto it (well, within reason).

Of course, if you can stretch a little further (SSIA?) then the AP1200 is perfection that comes in a box via UPS.

This said, the AP's may well be overkill for planetary alone. But they will allow you to expand into other areas of astronomy without thinking twice.

C14 - good choice BTW.

Dave

In terms of mount capacity - be careful. Some mounts go by instrument capacity whilst others state a capacity which includes the counterweights.

Good point Michael - AP capacities are for the OTA and any other stuff (guidescopes, cameras etc). Counterwights and shafts etc are not included in the payload. So the AP1200 will handle 140 lbs of astro kit. 70 lbs for the 900. A C14 might push the 900 alright but then AP usually underestimate payloads a little...

The other question to ask yourself is if you want a mount that can be dismantled and taken to a dark site or simply taken in and out of the house without a back injury. The high end mounts (Titan, AP's etc.) may need to be permanently mounted.

It'd have to be something I could dismantle for now.
I think the AP range wouldn't suit.
Has anyone heard any reports on the new Celestron CGE 1400 XLT mount?

Frank,
Just something to consider:
When I had my 12" SCT on my mount, the total weight of everything was about 70kg. Mount was around 25kg, counterweights were 36kg and the scope was the rest. Needless to say, this is a fair weight to carry around.
IMHO, I don't think it is sustainable in the medium-long term to have a large equatorial mount and a large OTA which are going to lugged around to a dark sky. Heaving all the gear in and out of the car, setting it up and then polar aligning it - this will take some time and effort. If you look on these boards, you'll notice that most of the lads with the larger scopes have an observatory. If you want to image planets and the moon, then these can be done from any city location. Whilst deep sky will be a little harder, it is still possible - see what some of the guys here can do. IMHO, if you're looking to have a scope for visual use which you can bring out to a dark site with large aperture, then my advice would be to get a dob.