Custom Built jib by local fabricator

[Ken Diewert]

Well, I was going to buy a small jib but getting it into Canada with shipping and duties and everything made me look to a local guy that I know who likes to tinker with aluminum. He's a retired metal fabricator and he came up with the jib.

It extends to a max of 15'6" and the center pedestal rises another 18" or so. The legs can also raise another foot, but it is mostly for leveling. The boom telescopes in 3 stages. I've just picked it up so I haven't had much of a chance to take it out yet, but will in the next day or so.

The thing is incredibly well built and heavy duty. Much more so than I had planned. But being aluminum, the weight is not too bad. Without the weights I can pick it up fairly easily. But it separates just above the bearing. There is a vertical brake which really helps. It assembles quicker than I expected. The tilt arm can be fixed to self-level or is easily unlocked to manual tilt. At full extension It has a cable to support the tilt arm. The pics are only with the 2nd stage out (roughly 10').

I had it powder-coated as well. There are a few things I will tweak, but overall it looks very good.

[Chris Soucy]

Interesting looking beast.

I can't say for sure from the photo's, but are those support legs and spreader "U" channel aluminium?

Please say no.

If they are, I'd suggest, before you add that third stage (and even more humungous weights) you ensure your life, property and public liability insurance is smack up to date.

I don't know how much loading you have on that thing already, just with stage 2, but "U" channel has all the engineering predictability of a twister (and I'm not talking the confection) and will give zero, nada, zilch warning of total failure under load.

Sure hope that lot isn't on the third floor of anywhere, there's a chance it will end up in the basement.

This isn't the first and only load test of the system, is it? ie, this support design, material and manufacture has been tested with live weights to well in excess (200%) of the maximum system operational weight?

Sorry if this comes across a bit negative, for all I know, you've run it under the noses of a heap of NASA system designers, had it tested to 1000% of design and had it built by the best construction engineer your side of the Rockies.

On the other hand..............................


CS

[Ken Diewert]

Chris,

It's all square tubing, and is major overkill since I'll mostly being using my 5d on it. The guy who built it is a bit on the obsessive side when it comes to build strength. I've had the 3rd stage out with test weights on it in place of a camera and there were no problems whatsoever. The counterweight tail-section is adjustable to provide extra leverage. I really expect to use it mostly at the one and two stage configurations, though it's nice to be able to get up as high as 18' or so. I intend to pick up a motorized pan/tilt head for it at some point.

The tilt arm is relatively lightweight square tubing that screws together in three sections when fully extended. and does have a cable support as it does sag. When I get it outside, I'll take some pics.

I originally was looking for something smaller, lighter, more along the lines of a Kessler lite, but then we started talking about telescoping sections etc., ...