jkorten

An old steady - my Bogen 3021. Took it out this summer, twisted the adjustment lever and it bent off like it was made from butter. Thought "hmmm..." tried the next one. Same thing. Hardly any force applied. No sign of oxidation. I guess the metal just aged out. Must be a planned obsolescence thing? Replacement parts are $16 at B&H so I'd have to spend $135 on those parts alone, and hope the rest of the metal parts aren't going to similarly disintegrate. Rats. I guess I'll try thumbscrews, but even those at $5 each would be half a new tripod. I guess I won't do anything.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Which adjustment lever ??

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

If it fails with your camera and lens how much to replace? Or should buy a new tripod. I had one fail in February at a National Park. It got delivered to a trash receptacle.

jkorten

Ugh!

jkorten

All nine of those cam action twist levers.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/564195-REG/Manfrotto_R055_109_Replacement_Leg_Lock_Lever.html

Metal on the lever just turned to soft clay. Very strange

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

3021 leg lock levers are not metal, they are all plastic. Two styles depending upon the age of your tripod. Single ramp levers are now obsolete and impossible to find new. Double ramp levers are the newer style and are still available from Manfrottospares.com

jkorten

Wow. Let me look more closely. Could have sworn they were metal.

No worries I won't put any more $ into this one though.

Thanks,

Jerry

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

According to this parts site there are at least 5 diff. 3021 models. Maybe this will help those who still have and use a Bogen 3021... I am one of those. https://bogentripodparts.com/3021identification.html

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

Just curious, how old is your 3021 and have you used it often?

photoman43

i agree with all that has been posted. I have the same tripod purchased around 1999 or thereabouts. I still use it at the beach and in water as it is easy to take apart and clean, especially the leg sections. Mine says Bogen 3021, not manfrotto. That may be one way to tell the difference in those leg clamps.

You might find a used one at Craig’s list or similar site at a cheaper price than a set of those levers.

Joe

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I recently picked up a Bogen/Manfrotto #144 tripod (also known as #3001) with a #3025 compact pan/tilt head at a local 2nd hand store for all of $10. I just put a $15, Chinese-made (but surprisingly NICE) Arca-compatible quick release platform on it so it will be usable with my various camera gear. It'll make a good CHEAP backup to my Gitzo and Bogen/Manfrotto tripods. The #144 tripod uses thumbscrews (plastic caps, but with two shorter "ears" instead of the one long "lever" on the style that broke).

The reason this tripod was in the 2nd hand store was probably the "wobble" in the head.... Which was nothing more than loosened set screws under the mounting platform. I tightened those and put a little Loctite on them... dusted off the rest of the rig... good as new!

Old Bogen/Manfrotto tripods rarely die. But if you look closely at that replacement part (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/564195-REG/Manfrotto_R055_109_Replacement_Leg_Lock_Lever.html) it's fairly obvious why it would fail. There's a "crimped" section on the threaded bolt right near the head, which no doubt weakens it considerably. That, along with the leverage that can be applied on the long plastic "handle" is a recipe for a failure! Maybe it's deliberate. I wouldn't be surprised if they crimp those like that so that the bolt will break before you over tighten it and potentially damage other parts of the leg lock mechanism. $16 apiece for replacements is absurd, though!

I'd wager that a different replacement part could easily and inexpensively restore the OP's tripod to full, safe, and secure working condition. I don't know what thread Bogen used, but it's probably something pretty standard. I'd go to a local hardware store and look for thumbscrews with oversize heads similar to this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/778777-REG/manfrotto_rh02e001br_replacement_lock_off_knobs.html?sts=pi&pim=Y Plastic capped ones would be fine. They come with two "ears" and in other knob designs... choose whatever seems most comfortable. The bolt itself just needs to be the right diameter, thread and length to do the job. "Generic" thumbscrews at hardware stores will only cost one or two $ typically... much cheaper than that "weakened" Bogen/Manfrotto part.

Using a stronger, replacement thumbscrew on there, you'd have to be careful not to over tighten and damage other parts of the mechanism. But, just using some common sense in that respect, the tripod should do it's job well.

Other Bogen/Manfrotto parts that are unique, where generic items can't be substituted, can often be found at: https://bogentripodparts.com/index.html

Or just watch your local 2nd hand store for a deal on a decent tripod! (There are a lot of utter junk tripods there all the time, too. I pass on those!)

Billy Britt

I would recommend getting a new tripod. If pieces are breaking off it is likely other parts of the tripod are stressed with age and wear. You didn't mention what kind of budget you have. You could spend hundreds of dollars on a tripod. I do not have hundreds of dollars so I went with a more reasonably priced tripod. I went with a Benro TAD27A Adventure ($125) with a Benro B1 ball head ($114) and am very pleased with this setup. I've used this for 5 years in some very horrible environments without it ever failing me.

ButchS Loc: Spokane, WA

I think he means the leg releases.

ButchS Loc: Spokane, WA

Equipment does wear out. You might consider a new one.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Anyone who’s actually used this tripod ought to know that the lever locks are designed to last for many years. The crimp on the screw is so it will engage the slots in the lever. 1/4 turn from unlocked to locked - very little torque on the lever and screw is required and the leg will not slide. The lever is a good quality plastic material, maybe a composite - mine is well over 40 years old and shows no sign of deterioration. It is always in its padded case when not in use. A klutz can break a lever by banging it, of course. They’re pretty simple to replace.