A friend of mine bought a Kessler Crane (KC-12), but didn't have enough money to buy their tripod. I let him use one of my old 1980s studio-style tripod/dolly combos (Studio Pro baby!) which worked, but it cracked the medal casing that holds the legs onto the body. (it's okay, it was an ebay cheapy).

Can anyone suggest a tripod that can handle 60lbs worth of crane that might not be too far out of a college student's budget?

Hi Jeremiah,

For an use with the large KC-12, I think it could be dangerous to use light tripods or unadapted size. Kc-12 is heavy (with the weights) and long. It could cause damages.

You could use tripods like the Manfrotto 528 XB, but the price is higher than the Kessler one.

At $549, the K-pod is really the affordable and adapted solution.

Even with a student budget, never forget safety with crane shots.

William.