Thursday, September 26, 2013

Manfrotto 701HD Quick Fix

A few years back we bought a Manfrotto 701HD tripod head. It has been a decent purchase, well, once I realized how the handle was supposed to be positioned. After that I found no issues, the glide of the fluid head is nice. I know it does have some shortcomings, like it is meant for smaller cameras. I don't really mind that. I like small cameras, I've gravitated to DSLRs as of late. The design seems common enough that the parts should be readily available, even in Columbus. In fact a friend had borrowed my tripod and lost the quick release plate. She was able to find a replacement at local camera shop Midwest Photo Exchange at a reasonable price. The first major downfall appeared when I lost the knob that allowed you to adjust the arm position. Of course it was stuck down for transport. I called Midwest, they said they would try to figure out the part number - nothing. I went to Manfrotto's website and that particular parts list would not load. I could find the arm, the quick release and a few other random parts. Nothing seemed like it would be the right part. I called their repair number, they don't handle parts - they are just an outsourced company. They recommend the parts department. I called - no answer. Again - no answer. Three time and I just gave up. Time was getting short - I needed a functioning tripod, fast. Enter Lowe's bins o randomness. I still had the stud that held the arm in place, I just needed a way to adjust it. I found a screw that matched the inner threads of the stud. I added a wing nut and some washers. The result may not be pretty but it works again. This time there are no plastic parts to break off and loose.
Moded 701HD 701hd quick fix