60-250 lens question

I might be renting this lens in the near future as I cannot afford to buyy for our vacation coming up. Can I still utilize a tripod, i think mine is a 8 or 10lb weight threshold, for this lens? I saw that the lens is the part that is mounted to the tripod, does it have to be this way? Do I need a different plate to mount other than the standard plate on my oben?
Thanks for your help..