Why a Ladder for large Newtonion?

[pederv]

I have my tripod legs fully retracted, except to level the mount, and I need to stand on something to look through the EP of my 10 inch. I tried the "storage crates" that I keep my components in but broke one (they aren't built as well as milk crates) so I picked up a 2ft step ladder rated at 300lbs. I've had to stand on the very top of the step ladder once or twice, most of the time I have to stand on the second step. I'm about 5ft 10in so I'm not too short.
Don't forget to move the step ladder when you slew to a new target.

[WWPierre]

Tripods tend to have a fixed spread. Shorten the legs, and the ground footprint gets smaller. Now put a 10" scope on that, and the whole setup gets "nervous".

If you increase the angle of the leg spread to increase the footprint, you start hitting the legs with the back end of the scope.

Also, the eyepiece location on a newt tends to migrate to "uncomfortable" positions as you move to different parts of the sky. You can rotate the OTA to a more comfortable position, if you have Wilcox rings, but then it doesn't point to the same thing any more, so it's best not to move it if possible. (see pic below)

[Steve Cox]

I'm with you on that Ken. For a 10" on a GEM, I think I'd want it on a pedastal setup vs tripod, and if you have the clearance, why not just shorten the pedastal height, making it easier to use. Doing so would also lower the CG and add stability by decreasing the moment arm.