Gitzo leg spreading even when locked

Hi, I have an older Gitzo explorer. This has locks on-top of the legs to (independently) arrest the splay. Even while new, as far as I remember, you *could* still change the angle of leg while locked, though it took quite a bit of strength. Maybe this was a "feature" rather than a "bug", to allow fine adjustments without unlocking the leg. Either way, it did not bother me. Now, though, one of the legs splays out with hardly any pressure at all even when locked. For example, when on uneven ground, the weight of the camera and tripod pushing on the leg causes it to spread out. Needless to say, this is annoying. I notice these allen wrench / hex bolts at the top of each leg, and tried to tighten these by hand. No luck -- they were already pretty tight and I don't think I changed much. In any case, the leg remains prone to spreading with the slightest pressure.

Has anyone else faced this? How did you fix it? Should I employ more torque on the hex bolts (e.g., with a power drill)?

Thanks for any advice or information!

I don,t have an Explorer myself but see the attached diagram & parts list - may be of help:

http://www.gitzospares​.com …dfs/GT2531EX_20​080104.pdf

There is a full list of Gitzo tripods here:

http://www.gitzospares​.com …information/ide​ntify_part

I would be very cautious about using any power tools on your tripod, just go carefully with an appropriate spanner/hex key as spare parts are not cheap!

One thing I would do, if you haven't already, is attempt to loosen the threaded fastener that locks the leg. It seems as though you tried to tighten but were unsuccessful so I wonder if something like Locktite may have been used locking the threaded fastener.

OP I'm confused. Are you talking about A or B in the pic below?

Hi Peter,

The screws I tried to tighten were "A" in your picture. "B" is the leg lock.

Hi Johnf3f,

Thanks for posting the link to the diagram. Very interesting. The leg lock is labeled D2220.140, and the screws that I thought might be the issue are labeled "A" in the D09512.28 box. D055.80 shows the hex key / allen wrench that came with the tripod, and I have never used it till now -- I assumed it was to tighten the legs in the case like this.

Hi John from PA,

Loosen the scews? Counter-intuitive ... but I will try. Thanks.

jeetsukumaran wrote in post #16460817
Hi John from PA,

Loosen the scews? Counter-intuitive ... but I will try. Thanks.

I'm not saying loosening the screws will increase the "holding power" on the legs, just a technique to be certain the screws are sufficiently loose to even be turned. Loctite, depending on type, can exhibit a strong bond on threads, especially when small. You might think you are tightening, but because of the Loctite the screw is essentially held.

When you tightened, did you get any rotation to the screw?

jeetsukumaran wrote in post #16459901
Hi, I have an older Gitzo explorer. This has locks on-top of the legs to (independently) arrest the splay. Even while new, as far as I remember, you *could* still change the angle of leg while locked, though it took quite a bit of strength. ... Now, though, one of the legs splays out with hardly any pressure at all even when locked. For example, when on uneven ground, the weight of the camera and tripod pushing on the leg causes it to spread out. ...In any case, the leg remains prone to spreading with the slightest pressure....

Are the locks fully engaged? I would suggest removing the pivot bolts and leg locks from all the legs, then carefully clean and inspect all parts, and then re-install everything. Comparing the parts to one another will help determine if only one part is defective.

I don't think the OP is referring to the leg locks but is referring to the tension or drag on the hinge at the top.

John from PA,

Ahhh, I understand now. And, indeed, I could not budge the screws in either direction. So they are either as tight as they can go or have been sealed with loctite. Looking up how to loosen the loctite, it appears that I need a heat gun or some sort of industrial strength hair-dryer. I can try to find one of these ... but if the screws are indeed sealed with loctite, than they should be as tight as they were when new, and thus could not be cause of the loose leg?

And yes, I am referring the then hinge at the top, above the flip-lock lever.

I don't think that they're treated with thread locker from the factory; if they have been treated with some kind of thread locking compound, whoever applied it may have overtightened the screws in the process; this could keep the leg lock from moving freely to the correct position for your leg angle.

Jon,

Just to clarify, the problem is not that the leg lock does not move freely. The locks and legs move freely. The problem is, in fact, that one of the leg continues to move too freely even when the flip lock is in the nominally closed position. The other legs do this too, but require sufficient enough force to move (when the lock is engaged) so as not to be a problem.

Jon brings up a good point in that the factory would likely not use thread lock, certainly not something bordering on "permanent". Have you been the sole owner of this tripod?

FYI, there are two types of Loctite, one blue #242, and one red, #272. The blue you can likely break the bond with a hair dryer, the red I wouldn't even try. The temps as I recall for red is 750 deg f. Even the blue can be a bear on small size threads. Loctite suggest nothing smaller than 1/4 inch.

Personally I recommend clear nail polish.

jeetsukumaran wrote in post #16460813
Hi Johnf3f,

Thanks for posting the link to the diagram. Very interesting. The leg lock is labeled D2220.140, and the screws that I thought might be the issue are labeled "A" in the D09512.28 box. D055.80 shows the hex key / allen wrench that came with the tripod, and I have never used it till now -- I assumed it was to tighten the legs in the case like this.

I think the one you need to tighten is the nut in the diagram D2220.140. This should increase the tension applied by the Flip Lock. Tightening the other screws you were looking at will help control how stiff the leg is to move but not how it locks.
I have heard (anecdotally) that the Flip Locks are not that strong so don't go mad with the spanner!