Removing stuck tripod head

[Jim Kasson]

I have an Arca Swiss C1 cube and a set of TVC-44 legs that have become way
too attached to each other. Any suggestions for separating them? The collar of the head rotates with it, so grabbing it there with a strap wrench won't help. I can't hand-tighten the panning lock tight enough to keep it from slipping, and I'm afraid to tighten it with a pair of pliers.

I emailed RRS on March 4, but haven't heard from them, so I'm turning to your collective wisdom.

When I get this off, I'm going to an all-RRS QR head attachment system.

Thanks,

Jim

[Jim Kasson]

RRS gave me a pointer to a similar problem, and it worked.

1) Thread a 3/8-16 nut onto the center post from the bottom of the tripod.
2) Thread another on top of the first.
3) With a socket over just the second nut, jam both of them together.
4) Then slip the socket over both nuts and back the center post out.


Worked great!

Jim

 

[samueljohnchia]

I've had this problem with the Cube on my Gitzo legs. Tighten the base pan knob as tight as you can by hand, and then with a forceful, sharp, quick twist always did the trick for me. I'm not sure of the exact physics behind this, but it seems like a rapid twisting motion is sufficient to overcome the friction between the Cube and the tripod, and not the panning base, dampened by the tightened knob.

[TSJ1927]

Maybe access to a commercial freezer (-20F - 30F) will contract the metal enough to loosen it grip.  Just maybe