Kirk BH-1 question

I have a Kirk BH-1 that has served me very well for about 7 years. In the past year or so it has gone through several episodes of binding up. If I wipe the ball with WD-40 it helps but this fall I was shooting next to a guy in Yosemite with a 10 year old BH-1 supporting a heavier rig than mine who said his has never acted up. Any of you using the BH-1 had similar problems and if so is there a better fix than the WD-40 band-aid. It has never been immersed in water or exposed to sand. Thanks in advance for any insights.

Bill, I would avoid using WD-40 as it will "gum up" after a while. You may want to contact Kirk Enterprises and see what they recommend.

Mine locked up once and after contact w/Kirk; I send it in for repair. They turned it around in a couple of days and it's worked flawlessly since then. All i paid for was shipping.

Any oil based lube will attract fine particles over time, and compound your problem. You could send it in to be cleaned and adjusted. I use a dry teflon powder instead of "wet" lubricants for most of my outdoor stuff. My AcraTech ball head has an open design and nothing has ever been able to jam it.


Kent in SD

Like Kent, I use teflon (or sometimes graphite) powder, and for the same reason. Graphite powder in the small squeeze tubes marketed for freeing stiff car door locks is a good thing to have in the kit for field emergencies.

Thought you all might be interested in my conversation with Kirk today. They actually do recommend a WD-40 wipe (whew!) and offered to check it out at no cost if the problem persists or worsens. Pretty good customer service so far. >=))>

I've dealt with Kirk since they started in business and have never had a problem with their service. Don't hesitate to send it in if there's a problem