If your ambition is removing the column so you can shoot low to the ground, we have found a better alternative. Get a Bogen Super Clamp with a 3/8" stud (about $35) and screw your head onto that. Then you can clamp it wherever you want on one leg of the tripod- top to bottom. It's immensely useful for macro shooting, but also for shooting in tough locations without room for a tripod. I clamp it to pipes, railings, whatever on industrial shoots when I'm up on towers. It's also terrific for clamping to the top of a stepladder when a little extra elevation is needed on landscape shoots.