View Full Version : Dumb question: Does tripod capacity include weight of the head?


Greg Joyce
October 17th, 2007, 02:28 PM
Dumb question about capacity: Is the weight of a head factored into the capacity rating for a tripod?

This is my situation: I've got a Bogen 3021 tripod with a capacity of 9.9 lbs. I've also got a Bogen 3063 head that weighs about 4 lbs. My Canon XH-A1 camera weighs 5 pounds. I want to buy a teleprompter that weighs 5 pounds and mount it on the tripod.

If the weight of the head is included in the capacity rating of the tripod, I'm probably fine. If not, well, I've got think of a different way to support the teleprompter.

It's probably an obvious question, but I can't find a specific answer. Thanks.

Brian Drysdale
October 17th, 2007, 03:55 PM
Personally, I'd at least half the figure that the manufacturer says is the max capacity a tripod head can take. They might be able to take the weight, but they're usually not comfortable to operate with it.

Leo Versola
October 18th, 2007, 08:30 PM
No such thing as a dumb question... But typically in most cases, the stated load capacity of a tripod does not include the weight of the head because it's fairly common practice to mix and match different heads with tripod legs...

Cheers...