Really, really pissed at manfrotto 501

[Victor Nguyen]

I'm using a manfrotto 055xprob. What I don't understand is why do I have to go through all these trouble to take the darn head off?

[Don Bloom]

Victor, I have removed tripod heads that are far and away much more expensive, bigger, heavier and complicated than the 501 from multiutes of legs in under a few minutes so either you are doing something wrong in trying to remove the head or the head is damaged in a way I haven't seen in 30 years, so lets quit blaming the head and do what we need to do to get the head off the legs.
Sorry if it seems like I'm talking to you like I'd talk to one of my own grown children but you are not accomplishing anything so....if you want the help here it is, if not, that's fine as well.
To get the head off the legs, you need to LOCK the pan so the head doesn't just sut there and turn around it self. Take something to gently tap it with if needed, but in 99% of the cases a good whack with you hand on the pan-handle, going in a counter-clockwise direction should and will loosen the head up so it can be removed, UNLESS the threads are for some reason stripped in which case the head was way overtightened and you would need other measures to remove the head.
At this time everyone has told you to do the same thing so I will take my leave from this thread.

[Victor Nguyen]

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

Victor, I have removed tripod heads that are far and away much more expensive, bigger, heavier and complicated than the 501 from multiutes of legs in under a few minutes so either you are doing something wrong in trying to remove the head or the head is damaged in a way I haven't seen in 30 years, so lets quit blaming the head and do what we need to do to get the head off the legs.
Sorry if it seems like I'm talking to you like I'd talk to one of my own grown children but you are not accomplishing anything so....if you want the help here it is, if not, that's fine as well.
To get the head off the legs, you need to LOCK the pan so the head doesn't just sut there and turn around it self. Take something to gently tap it with if needed, but in 99% of the cases a good whack with you hand on the pan-handle, going in a counter-clockwise direction should and will loosen the head up so it can be removed, UNLESS the threads are for some reason stripped in which case the head was way overtightened and you would need other measures to remove the head.
At this time everyone has told you to do the same thing so I will take my leave from this thread.

yes, I did this, but it is still not coming off so that's the reason why I' getting frustrated. I think one of the reason is that the pan brake is not doing a very good job of creating friction. Is there a way I can grab the base?

[Victor Nguyen]

I just tried it again, and this time it finally came off. It look really dirty though and there are some white stuff underneath it...thank you everyone for your help.

[Mike Beckett]

Victor,

The pan brake is designed to be a rudimentary clamp to stop normal pan movement of the tripod head, not to act as a tool to enable you to wrench the head off. It's just not designed for very heavy use, or over-tightening. Given the lightweight construction of these heads, I'm not surprised it snapped off.

I said much earlier, a photo speaks a thousand words. Can we get a photo of the actual mounting that is causing the problem? Because I can't imagine from the text above what the actual mounting is and what the issue is.

I have a tripod not dissimlar to the 055xpro, albeit without the horizontal mounting option (which suggests that's a photo tripod, not a video one). After removing the three screws (loosening them so they almost come out), then gripping the mounting ball part of it and turning the head worked the first time I ever removed it. It was tough. Maybe I have an ultra strong grip, I don't know.

But a photo of the actual mounting would help us see what's going on.

[Trevor Dennis]

Originally Posted by Victor Nguyen

I just tried it again, and this time it finally came off. It look really dirty though and there are some white stuff underneath it...thank you everyone for your help.

This does seem to be getting to the crux of the matter. The aluminium head might have corroded due to contact with salt water, or some sort of similar action, and might well have damaged the thread. What do both the male thread on the tripod legs, and female thread in the head look like? Not smooth and shiny I am thinking?

Clean both male and female threads with a soft wire brush (if possible) blow out the corrosion dust, and use a little lubricant before reassembly (Teflon grease would be good). If the female thread is not looking good, maybe pop it down to your local engineering shop, and get them to run a tap up it (3/8 x 16 UNC).

It sounds like you might need to have another look at the pan lock as well. That would be R501,223 and R501,298 in this drawing:

Photomart Cine-Video | Manfrotto 501HDV Tripod Head Parts

Is that how yours looked when you replaced the broken stud? If the crescent shaped plate was missing, for instance, that would prevent it working. Ahhh… Here’s a thought. The locking lever obviously only pivots through about 180°, and may not by tightening the locking plate.

You can see the little set screw that holds the lever onto the nut in R501,223? Remove that screw, and the lever, and use the lever as a spanner until it will not go any tighter. Then with the lever in an almost fully clockwise position relative to the head, replace the locking screw. You should then be able to pivot the lever enough to loosen the pan, and back to re-tighten the pan lock.

But it does sound like you have some corrosion in the female thread in the head, so that needs cleaning and lubricating.

[Victor Nguyen]

Here are some pictures. Everything is good right now... The only problem is that I get these metal shaving whenever I engage the pan brake. Look at the pictures to know what I'm talking about

[Paul R Johnson]

You can actually shear the 1/4" rod as it passes through the housing if you abuse them too much. The thread is not that strong. For what they are, they're pretty well made really. Threads often get over tightened - just one of those things!

[Trevor Dennis]

Whoa!!! I feel its pain. Did you get a new plate along with the replacement pan locking stud? I wonder if the plate has been put on upside down, and it should have that nice radiused side of the plate in contact with the main body of the head? At the moment, it is really ploughing up the head, which suggests a sharp corner (aka a cutting edge) being driven around the head. Another possibility is that something is stopping the plate sitting square to the stud causing one edge to dig in. That second option is much less likely IMO.

So now you need to fix it, and, if it was mine, I’d strip it down as far as possible to be sure I could remove every bit of that swarf. Then I’d use a fine file to flatten the ridges from the base of the head. Or perhaps place some 600 grit wet & Dry paper upside down on a very flat surface, and polish the head on that. Use water and detergent to stop it clogging. (The wet & dry paper can be found at your local car accessory store).

OK so I couldn’t let you put it back together like that, so I just whipped the head off my legs, and could immediately see your problem. Yes you do have the locking plate upside down, but much more importantly, there should be a gasket between plate and the head. If have trouble sourcing the gasket, you can get gasket material from the same place as the wet & dry paper, and cut it out yourself.

[Victor Nguyen]

aww crap... I didn't know it can be place upside down. What's the worst that can happen though? Can't I just leave it like that? did you install yours upside down too?

[Trevor Dennis]

No, you need to at the very least put a gasket between the plate and head, and you'd obviously flip the plate while you had the stud removed. But don't you want to clean all those shavings from your head?

BTW I also thought there is evidence of the set screws being over tightened judging by the rather deep indent in the head (upper right corner of your picture of the base of the head.