The lower leg joint on one leg is malfunctioning. No matter how hard I tighten it, to the point needing a strap wrench to loosen it, the lowest leg section still slides. I replaced the bushing, to no avail. If I swap the lower leg section with either of the others, the symptom persists on the same leg, which indicates the problem must lie in the second leg section.
The only time I've had anything similar happen when both plastic bushings and the fiber bushing were intact, the joint was "glazed" with some kind of fine crud. A thorough cleaning including the threads on the "nut" and the joint solved it. Another time I had "glazed" that fiber washer with crud, and that did it too, even though everything else was clean. Both times I used a green Scotch dish scrubber pad to go over all the surfaces, then dried and lubed lightly with white food-grade moly grease (available locally in auto supply stores, and cheap). As near as I could tell the "glazing" was a mix of very fine dust and grease. Now it's an annual affair to disassemble and clean all joints on all our Gitzo tripods, kind of like changing batteries in smoke detectors. No problems have recurred since I started the annual cleaning.
I have dismantled, cleaned, and re-assembled this tripod a number of times, generally more often than once a year, I would say. I always apply white lithium grease to the threads. The idea, I think, is that the grease will protect the threads from the corrosive effect of seawater, etc. and also helps lubricate the threads against the threat of abrasion from dust and grit.
After reading your reply, (I didn't have any of those green scrubbers handy) I tried a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (that my spouse uses to clean her stove top) on the inside of the middle leg section. Didn't do the trick - no change at all.
I thought maybe the problem isn't glaze, but perhaps the inside of the leg is abraded, worn so that it has a larger diameter and the bushing won't snug up to it. So I put some Scotch tape on the inside of the leg joint (into which the lower leg section fits) but that made absolutely no difference.
I'm pretty sure I can eliminate the lower leg section, along with the plastic retainers, bushing, and screw sleeve, as being the source of problem, since all three lower leg section assemblies work just fine when I insert them into either of the other two legs.
That all makes me wonder if there isn't something blocking the threads in the lock nut, keeping you from tightening it all the way? I don't know how that would happen, but I'm moving away from the bushings as the villain. I don't know if the Gitzo repair shop is any quicker than they once were, but past experience inspires me to go online or on the phone for advice BEFORE I entrust it to them for repair. It took close to 6 weeks to get one of ours back, last time we shipped one off for repair.
That happens to me when the plastic bushings inside the legs wear out. They need to be replaced if that's the case. You can either send your tripod to Gitzo and have them fix that, or order the bushings and replace them yourself. The phone number is that of Bogen/Mafrotto. I think they're in NJ.Since you've taken the thing apart yourself I think you'll be fine replacing the bushings yourself.
If you know which part you need this website sells all sorts of parts for Gitzo: http://www.gitzospares.com
Or you can call Bogen/Mafrotto in NJ to find out the part number.
The phone number for parts is (201) 818-9500 Ext. 244
You can also email them at
parts@manfrottodistribution.us
That happens to me when the plastic bushings inside the legs wear out.
That's interesting! I haven't had to replace any yet, though they are looking really worn. In fact two of them are broken in half, but I just eased them back into place before reassembling the legs.
I've replaced those plastic bushings before - not a big deal. My gut feeling is that I may need to replace the whole mid leg section. I can get it from that website for 65.55 Pounds - I think that's a little over a hundred bucks.
If I can't fix it with what I have at hand, I'll call that number in NJ. I sent a message to Gitzo.com, but who knows if I'll get a reply.
Replacement plastic guide bushings: About $15
Replacement fiber bushings: About $50
Replacement leg section: About $110
Two layers of scotch tape: Priceless
When I changed bushings in the past, I kept the old ones - two sets of fiber bushings and one set of plastic bushings. So I have some spares - they're not all worn out. I found some plastic guide bushings that seemed to be less worn than the ones on the leg, so I replaced them. No change.
Then, I put two layers of scotch tape on the outside of the fiber bushing. As I tightened the screw sleeve (labelled the locking ring on the parts chart) I could feel it snugging up, whereas before it just screwed until it reached the end of the threads and just stopped. The leg did not slide. I loosened it - the leg was quite snug, but it did slide. Repositioned the leg, tightened back down again. Tight. Yay!
I'm sure this scotch tape fix is a temporary band aid, but so far so good. It also means that the cause of the problem is related to the fiber bushing and/or the inside of the leg into which the lower leg slides. So, now, do I buy a set of fiber bushings or do I buy a new leg section or both? While I'm at it, I might as well buy a set of plastic guide bushings as well. And finally, I ought to buy a new tripod with the new improved leg locks. I've always hated the old style Gitzo leg joints.
Thanks Hank and Alain for your suggestions.
I'd love to hear any more ideas anybody might have.
Buck, you're doing great! Very handy. I'd just be cautious about that tape inside the bushings. My feeling is it's going to wear out and leave a sticky residue inside the legs that will be hard to remove...
You could be right, Alain. We'll see how it turns out. If it makes a mess, I'll share the news of my misfortunes and others will benefit. I figure it's temporary and I will likely end up replacing the leg section. If it lasts more than a few uses, it will have accomplished its purpose.
Gitzo has a great reputation, but I've never been simpatico with the leg locks. One of the good things about the 1325 is that it only has six of them. Ultimately this little episode (not my first with this tripod) may push me into getting one of the newer generation of tripods, and I will definitely look at other brands.
Discussion
9 repliesThe lower leg joint on one leg is malfunctioning. No matter how hard I tighten it, to the point needing a strap wrench to loosen it, the lowest leg section still slides. I replaced the bushing, to no avail. If I swap the lower leg section with either of the others, the symptom persists on the same leg, which indicates the problem must lie in the second leg section.
Any suggestions?
I have dismantled, cleaned, and re-assembled this tripod a number of times, generally more often than once a year, I would say. I always apply white lithium grease to the threads. The idea, I think, is that the grease will protect the threads from the corrosive effect of seawater, etc. and also helps lubricate the threads against the threat of abrasion from dust and grit.
After reading your reply, (I didn't have any of those green scrubbers handy) I tried a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (that my spouse uses to clean her stove top) on the inside of the middle leg section. Didn't do the trick - no change at all.
I thought maybe the problem isn't glaze, but perhaps the inside of the leg is abraded, worn so that it has a larger diameter and the bushing won't snug up to it. So I put some Scotch tape on the inside of the leg joint (into which the lower leg section fits) but that made absolutely no difference.
I'm pretty sure I can eliminate the lower leg section, along with the plastic retainers, bushing, and screw sleeve, as being the source of problem, since all three lower leg section assemblies work just fine when I insert them into either of the other two legs.
I'm stumped.
That all makes me wonder if there isn't something blocking the threads in the lock nut, keeping you from tightening it all the way? I don't know how that would happen, but I'm moving away from the bushings as the villain. I don't know if the Gitzo repair shop is any quicker than they once were, but past experience inspires me to go online or on the phone for advice BEFORE I entrust it to them for repair. It took close to 6 weeks to get one of ours back, last time we shipped one off for repair.
If you know which part you need this website sells all sorts of parts for Gitzo:
http://www.gitzospares.com
Or you can call Bogen/Mafrotto in NJ to find out the part number.
The phone number for parts is (201) 818-9500 Ext. 244
You can also email them at
parts@manfrottodistribution.us
Alain
That's interesting! I haven't had to replace any yet, though they are looking really worn. In fact two of them are broken in half, but I just eased them back into place before reassembling the legs.
Thanks for the recommendation and link!
I've replaced those plastic bushings before - not a big deal. My gut feeling is that I may need to replace the whole mid leg section. I can get it from that website for 65.55 Pounds - I think that's a little over a hundred bucks.
If I can't fix it with what I have at hand, I'll call that number in NJ. I sent a message to Gitzo.com, but who knows if I'll get a reply.
Replacement fiber bushings: About $50
Replacement leg section: About $110
Two layers of scotch tape: Priceless
When I changed bushings in the past, I kept the old ones - two sets of fiber bushings and one set of plastic bushings. So I have some spares - they're not all worn out. I found some plastic guide bushings that seemed to be less worn than the ones on the leg, so I replaced them. No change.
Then, I put two layers of scotch tape on the outside of the fiber bushing. As I tightened the screw sleeve (labelled the locking ring on the parts chart) I could feel it snugging up, whereas before it just screwed until it reached the end of the threads and just stopped. The leg did not slide. I loosened it - the leg was quite snug, but it did slide. Repositioned the leg, tightened back down again. Tight. Yay!
I'm sure this scotch tape fix is a temporary band aid, but so far so good. It also means that the cause of the problem is related to the fiber bushing and/or the inside of the leg into which the lower leg slides. So, now, do I buy a set of fiber bushings or do I buy a new leg section or both? While I'm at it, I might as well buy a set of plastic guide bushings as well. And finally, I ought to buy a new tripod with the new improved leg locks. I've always hated the old style Gitzo leg joints.
Thanks Hank and Alain for your suggestions.
I'd love to hear any more ideas anybody might have.
Alain
Gitzo has a great reputation, but I've never been simpatico with the leg locks. One of the good things about the 1325 is that it only has six of them. Ultimately this little episode (not my first with this tripod) may push me into getting one of the newer generation of tripods, and I will definitely look at other brands.