Michael, I would put some type of head on the carriage. I stock and sell the Bogen 701, it is a very nice inexpensive ($155.00) head. And will support up to 10 lbs very well. I keep my own sliders set up with 701 heads. And I have TA-100 (VCT-14) quick release plates on all my cameras and heads, StediCam etc.. It is very convenient.

You could mount the camera directly on the track. But it is nice to be able to tilt and pan the camera while sliding. It is not necessary but it is also much quicker to change the shot with a head than to move the tripod and re-level. There are many more inexpensive heads available for less than $60.00 that will work with DSLRs. Ball heads are good too for tracking up or down.

Mounting the track on a head is fine as long as it is pretty sturdy and lockable. There is a bit of stress on the head when the camera is out on the end of the track.

Contact me if you like and we can discuss the best solution for you.

603.383.9283
or email olof@westsideav.com for a Skype call.

Alright, well I'm not quite ready to purchase just yet, but i was just making sure my tripod could handle a 3 foot track. I think the i could handle buying a $60 head or so, thats not to bad, theres one you mention in an earlier post in this thread, it is a Manfrotto head for around 60 bucks which looks pretty good

Olof,

Really enjoying the slider!

Its pretty smooth, I was wondering if oiling it would make it even smoother?

Silas, I would stay away from any oils, they attract small dirt particles and will jam the track eventually. The teflon bushings are self lubricating and they will actually get smoother with use.

Use the white 3M pad I supplied with the track to remove any dirt from it, it is slightly abasive and good at removing dirt. Paper towel works well too.

I have experimented with different lubricants myself, teflon and silicone based ones. And I found that what works the best is just a really clean track.

You can take the carriage off the track and actually remove the bushings, and clean them as well. This should only be necessary if there is some oily dirt stuck on the bushings. The bushings are replaceable if they were to get damaged.

The biggest reason for sticky track is badly aligned carriage, or sticky substance on bushings and/or track.

It is easy to find out if carriage is badly aligned, this can happen if the carriage slams hard into the end of the track. Just loosen all four of the allen screws on the carriage and slide the carriage like that. It should then slide very easily. And by refastening the screws while pressing down on the carriage fairly hard (Igus recommends 11lbs pressure) the carriage will slide just as easily. If it is stiffer when screws are tight repeat the tightening.

The track is very rugged and I have even repaired gouges in the track by filing them smooth. The slider will operate smoothly even after this repair.