Markins M20 ballhead lockup problem

So I've had the M20 for several months, and it's worked flawlessly. Tonight I set it up in my living room to shoot the Christmas tree lights. I loosened the tension knob, moved the ballhead into the vertical notch for the camera's portrait orientation, and tightened the knob the same as I've done for months. When I was done shooting, I wanted to loosen the tension knob, and I couldn't budge it. I realized the ballhead itself was totally loose, as if the tension knob was loosened all the way...but the knob itself won't rotate in either direction, and I tried with all my strength. Is there some sort of lock on the knob that I don't know about? Or did I accidently overtighten the knob and break something inside? I emailed Markins to ask the same question but haven't heard back yet. I'm wondering if anyone has run into something similar with any of the Markins ballheads. I figure they're all the same in this regard. Thanks.

Well, to follow up my own question, I decided to disassemble the knob to at least figure out how it worked and what, exactly, was locked. The center post was jammed, and after taking everything apart around it, I was able to loosen it with pliers and then get it all back together again. I can now use the tension knob to do what it's supposed to do, although it feels like it has less range than before. In any case, it's functional again! I'll see if the Markins folks end up suggesting anything different from what I did.

Hmm, that's strange. I sold my BH55 in favor of the Markins 20. When I first got the BH55, I couldn't move the ball after placing it on my tripod. Turns out, the ball is hollow (as are all balls I guess), but it must have a cutout on the bottom and the tripod screw was up too high and stuck inside the bottom of the ball.

I like the lightweight and drag control of the Markins better and that's why I switched, though I do miss the second vertical dropout of the BH55, and I feel the BH55 is built better and sturdier overall.

mark

You have me worried. Please keep us advised.

I did hear back from Markins tech support. It's possible that I did "over-loosen" the knob when packing it in for the night and getting ready to put it away. However, I tried forcing it and it felt locked and wouldn't budge, even with large pliers on the knob itself. However, should someone else run into this, perhaps this recommendation will help:

The problem happens when you turn the knob excessively counter-clockwise (loosening direction) pass the set limit after setting the torque limit dial.

The solution is simply turning the main big knob "clockwise" (tightening direction) with "enough strength".

If you can't do it with your finger strength, you may try to use a rubber strap wrench (attached image). If you use any other kind of tool, you might damage the finishing.

Please note that you turn the knob "clockwise".

And, in the future, try not to turn the knob once it reaches the limit.

I don't see an attached image.

Yeah, I wasn't sure if the attached image was particularly important, but here it is:

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thanks. I've never seen one of those. What exactly is that and what is it used for?

mark

I'm guessing it would give you more leverage to twist the tension knob when it's locked like mine was, without possibly damaging the knob itself, as you might with giant pliers like I was using at first! Looking at this device though (and I'd never seen one before either), it's hard for me to believe it would have helped with my situation, but who knows. Once I disassembled the knob, it was relatively easy to free up the metal center post that was jammed, just using needle-nosed pliers.

sdipirro,

Any chance you took a few pictures during the dismantle? It would be very useful posted up if you did. Even without them, a description of what you did would help.

I've heard of users jambing it with the torque control, but this is the first time I've come across a real problem.

By the way, having had a look at the works, whats your opinion of the quality under the skin?

MDJAK wrote in post #9214925
thanks. I've never seen one of those. What exactly is that and what is it used for?

mark

This is a handy tool to remove stuck jar lids, filters, ballheads, etc. The strap wraps around the stuck item and you use the handle to apply some torque. It also comes in handy to tighten items such as the ballhead onto the tripod. Since the strap is rubber it doesn't mar the finish. They come in various sizes. You can get them at an auto parts store or Sears. They are inexpensive.