The tripod flat plate loosened itself and almost fell off. I was using only a 1 series body and 70-200/4 IS at the time and did not have the special tools. What is up with Gitzo? Do they use 12-year-old weaklings to tighten the 3 series plates or what?

EBH

There was a thread about this a while back.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/751974/0

http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=140837

http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=140837

Wow glad to see this, as sad as tha sounds. Lately, there have been too many people insulting/degrading others for not being about to afford $750 tripods and $300 heads and instead, choosing to go with other, more affordable brands. I guess people need to be reminded sometimes that nothing is perfect, no matter how much you pay.

From the sound of it, your gear seems to be safe... glad to hear it!

GeneO wrote:

http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=140837

http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=140837




Interesting. It appears there will be a 3rd party solution.

Meanwhile, does anyone know what wrench (star?) and size is needed to tighten the screw? I'd like to buy one with a real handle rather that the provided L wrench.

EBH

I got flamed last year for mentioning in an Arca Swiss Z1 thread that I read more about the Gitzo systematic plates coming loose and dumping gear than the Z1 shaft breaking loose

No word on the 3rd party solution yet AFAIK, and Gitzo never replied to my email questions about whether they were going to do anything. Bogen/Gitzo customer service still sucks in my book (had a problem w/ my 3021 they just ignored as well)...

p.s., no idea about the wrench size. It's european, so it'll be a metric star probably. Just stop by a Sears or Home Depot and get a set and find it (they both have good return policies)...

EB-1 wrote:
GeneO wrote:

http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=140837

http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=140837




Interesting. It appears there will be a 3rd party solution.

Meanwhile, does anyone know what wrench (star?) and size is needed to tighten the screw? I'd like to buy one with a real handle rather that the provided L wrench.

EBH

are they using a torx head bolt now? when you mention "star" thats what come to my mind. if so just pull it of and bring it to a sears tool department for sizing. they have screwdriver grip versions of those.

another option is this in both allen and torx
http://www.wihatools.com/indexes/indxtorx.htm
lots of dealers around especially electronics shops

It appears to be a Torx T25 from what I found in a translation from the French Bogen site. http://tinyurl.com/l2ka2b The cheapie wrench provided by Gitzo is more tapered than some Torx I have, so I was not sure.

EBH

Mine came loose the day I took it out of the box. I hadn't even mounted a camera on it yet. I thought that was kind of odd.

I heard others who'd dropped gear because of it and I then tighten mine down as tight as I could muster by hand. I've since tightened it once more (not because it was loose or anything) just because I was being anal and wanted to make sure it wouldn't come loose.

It is definitely a Torx wrench... which I keep in the zipper pocket of my domke, just in case.

EB-1 wrote:
It appears to be a Torx T25 from what I found in a translation from the French Bogen site. http://tinyurl.com/l2ka2b The cheapie wrench provided by Gitzo is more tapered than some Torx I have, so I was not sure.

EBH

whats funny on the GE90-94B Turbine engine on my B777-200 fleet there is precisely (1) torx bolt among the thousands of individual parts on the engine. it holds a drain mast in place. and for that i now have a torx set in my wonderful collection of tools.

oh also on my mtn bikes disc brakes too. the rotors mount via torx bolts to the hub

sjms wrote:
EB-1 wrote:
It appears to be a Torx T25 from what I found in a translation from the French Bogen site. http://tinyurl.com/l2ka2b The cheapie wrench provided by Gitzo is more tapered than some Torx I have, so I was not sure.

EBH

whats funny on the GE90-94B Turbine engine on my B777-200 fleet there is precisely (1) torx bolt among the thousands of individual parts on the engine. it holds a drain mast in place. and for that i now have a torx set in my wonderful collection of tools.

oh also on my mtn bikes disc brakes too. the rotors mount via torx bolts to the hub

I have seen torx on Slick magneto covers, but nowhere else on any helicopter I have worked on. I hope I never do...

mags. now theres something i haven't touched in about 25 years.

sjms wrote:
mags. now theres something i haven't touched in about 25 years.

I am a turbine guy myself, but we have become a Robinson Helicopter Service Center so I have had to try to remember piston engine theory from tech school. I don't like 'em.

My 3541LS has been fine, but after reading these threads I checked it the other day. The plate wasn't coming loose, but the bolt did tighten up about a quarter turn.

It seems that for the most part, this is something a user can deal with by paying attention to it, but it's also clear that some combinations (especially gimbals and/or big teles) put a lot of torque on the mount.

It's nice to see that someone has worked up an ultra-secure lock, but I'd prefer to see Gitzo respond to this themselves. Maybe it's not exactly a "defect" -- but it's a problem for exactly the demanding users that Gitzo prides itself on serving. I'm glad to see that Gitzo's product manager is talking to the users in the Naturescapes forum (a group full of exactly the kind of users most likely to encounter this problem). I hope something comes of it.

does the bolt have any sort of lock washer behind it? not a standard washer but a locking type

There's a washer, but it looks like it's just flat. Haven't taken it apart to check, though.

(this is assuming you're asking about the Gitzo -- if you're still talking about helicopter turbines, I'm of no use.... ;- )

Dear Smiert:

So far as I know, Gitzo is not advising its customers or account holders at naturescapes.net of what, if anything, that it is doing. I own a brand new Gitzo 5541LS carbon fiber tripod (the "5541"), which I use with my EF 600 F4L IS USM lens and a Canon 1D Mk III or 1Ds Mk III body. According to Greg Downing on naturescapes.net, he has not been informed of what, if anything, Gitzo is doing about the base plate issue. Further, my telephone calls to Gitzo's technical guru in New Jersey, Kevin Lackey, about the base plate issue have never been answered, nor has there been a response to the e-mail I left on the Gitzo website about the base plate issue. Thus, it does not appear to me that Gitzo has been particularly responsive to the inquiries of its customers on this subject.

Putting aside the apparent unresponsiveness of Gitzo about the base plate issue, I feel that concerns about loose base plates on the Gitzo systematic tripods are more user issues than a product defect issues. My 5541 is an excellent tripod; and I enjoy it very much. Just as I check other items of my kit before using them, I double check the bolt holding down the base plate on my 5541 before using it. The bolt holding the base plate on my 5541 was tight when I received that tripod, and it has remained so.

Best regards,

Roman

Smiert Spionam wrote:
There's a washer, but it looks like it's just flat. Haven't taken it apart to check, though.

(this is assuming you're asking about the Gitzo -- if you're still talking about helicopter turbines, I'm of no use.... ;- )


i can only suggest that a split type lock washer of the same size be added. do not use the star type lock washer. they do lock well but can rip up the area. they are not meant for loosening and tightening that this bolt can be used too. this will help to prevent the bolt from backing out from vibration or just plain being knocked around.

C'mon folks. It would be unadvisable for Gitzo to acknowledge this kind of problem with their tripods. Thousands would be knocking at their door saying, "Your defective product cost the demise of three of my rare $4,000,000 cameras."

They are better off waiting to pay off real "Pinto rear-end explosions" than do this kind of recall. Simple business math 101.

Dear Ronny:

There is a lot of validity to what you say.

I also think that good will is an important intangible asset for companies that manufacture and sell high end products, such as Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Gitzo, Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. Gitzo is damaging its good will in the market place by its failure to directly and candidly respond to inquiries about the base plate issue and to ameliorate the situation. Again, I think that for the most part, this is a user issue, not a product defect. Nonetheless, I believe that Gitzo should make a candid and public statement about the issue, and improve this component of their systematic tripod series. The reputed "best" in tripods should do no less.

Best regards,

Roman

I absolutely agree that companies should be good neighbors ... key word is should. Many times shareholder return becomes the deciding factor. Sometimes companies forget the first shareholder should be their customer. I will be interested to see if Gitzo understands this enough to respond.

Sounds like they are protecting their a**e*. Someone could launch a lawsuit if they admit to a problem.

the funny thing about this whole situation is that this plate and lock design has been around for many years. only recently has this issue come up

EB-1 wrote:
The tripod flat plate loosened itself and almost fell off. I was using only a 1 series body and 70-200/4 IS at the time and did not have the special tools. What is up with Gitzo? Do they use 12-year-old weaklings to tighten the 3 series plates or what?

EBH


I own a few Gitzo's and have owned several that I've sold. For the prices we pay, I expect not just competent workmanship, but superior, no-excuses workmanship. If I wanted fall-apart junk I'd go buy Induro/Benro.

It's good that you've told everyone here, but if you don't tell Gitzo, vociferously I might add, what happened you're wasting your umbrage/anger and it's all for naught. They obviously know about the problems but are doing little, if anything, to rectify it...

Good luck...

I have a 5541 for use with my 8x10 camera. The top plate was a bit loose when it was shipped, so I tightened it down. No big deal. The people in the factor just didn't tighten it down as much as they should have. It's not a flaw in the design. Just crank it tight, and you're fine.