Welcome to our Sachtler Frequently Asked Question's Page. SA & J Electronics Inc. has been servicing the Sachtler Product Line of Tripod Fluid Heads and Sticks since July 1996. During that time our technicians have been trained at Sachtler's New York office as well as twice at the main factory in Germany.
Below you will hopefully find some answers to your questions. However, if you don't you can send your item to us for repair by completing our repair order form.
This is a common problem with a simple fix. Generally it is just a matter of tightening the bolt that is actually inside the bowl, that locks the head into place. Just like on a normal set of sticks you have a "tie down", a knob or large nut that you tighten on the bolt that comes out of the head. Well, with a hotpod there is no "tie down", there is actually a nut inside the bowl itself that screws onto the bolt of the head.
Now, just with any nut and bolt, to tighten them down, you need to hold the nut otherwise it will just keep on turning and never tighten up. On the hotpod find the leveling lever. If you look just below it, you will notice a hole. If you look inside the hole you will see a round circular nut with slits on four sides. If you do not see the slit, push the leveling lever down and rotate the head until you can see the slit. Find a screwdriver (usually a long skinny one is the only one that will fit) and while pushing the leveling lever down, insert the screwdriver into the hole and finally into the slit. With your other hand, rotate the head clockwise until it is snug. Remove the screwdriver and release the lever. The head should lock into place.
Test to make sure when you push down the leveling lever the head still moves in all directions. If it doesn't move, re-insert the screwdriver and turn the head counter-clockwise a quarter of a turn.
For Newer CF (Carbon-Fiber) Hotpods, there is a Red Button on the head, instead of a hole for a screwdriver. The Button acts as a screwdriver, because when the button is depressed it engages a pin outward to protrude into the slit of the nut. But again keep in mind the nut only has 4 slits in it, so just because you are pushing the red button in, doesn't mean that the pin is actually engaged into a "slit" of the nut.
This is a common problem in older hotpods after years of wear and tear. There really is no simple, easy remedy for this problem except for sending it to us and allowing us to repair it. What we do is disassemble the entire bowl assembly and install a shim around the column. Generally, the cost is ~$438 parts and labor.
We should note that sometimes we cannot "shim" the bowl. If someone else has attempted to re-glue the bowl or if additional pins or screws are installed, we will not attempt any repairs to the bowl and a new entire column and bowl assembly will be quoted (~$1875 parts and labor).
Cracked or dented poles or moldings generally can be replaced on 75mm and 100mm standard duty sticks, otherwise the entire leg assembly will require replacement (sometimes the tubes are glued in so well to their supports, that they cannot be removed from them and therefore replacement of entire leg assembly is required). There are multiple factors that go into the repair/replace determination, therefore we can not make that decision until we receive, evaluate and many times begin disassembly of the unit. Individual poles and leg moldings on 150mm sticks, 100mm heavy duty sticks and Hotpod models can generally not be repaired and require leg replacement.
If any of the tubes on an aluminum Hotpod leg are dented, the entire leg assembly must be replaced. The part number for the entire leg assembly on an aluminum Hotpod (5185) is B-5185-850. All the tubes in the newer leg assemblies are glued as well as pinned into their supports. The leg assembly for a newer Carbon Fiber Hotpod (5385) is sst13b0551.
This is generally one of our most common repairs. Just like your car needs its oil changed every 3000 miles, your tripod needs a good cleaning, lubrication and its routine parts replaced ocassionally. Most often you will start to notice this problem at your middle setting (usually #4, but generally can be felt on 5, 6 and 7 if you are really looking for it). Dirt, grime and other foreign debris getting inside your head, as well as just excessive use usually cause this gap. This unit is in need of Minor Preventative Maintenance. Depending on the model of the head and what parts are needed or not needed, the price may vary.
Please note: this problem can occur if the inside mechanisms decide they just don't want to work properly at that moment in time. Usually going through the different drag settings while panning or tilting the head will correct this sort of hiccup. If this happens once every couple of months, and going through all the drag settings cures this problem, you probably have nothing to worry about. If the problem occurs on a more frequent basis, service is probably a good course of action. Think of the inside of the head as a bicycle gear and chain, usually when you switch gears everything is fine, but sometimes you encounter that crankkkkkkkkk sound, but just moving the dial back and forth or to a different gear solves the problem.
The crankkkkkkkkk sound is not a good thing! So if you experience that sound on a repeated basis we suggest immediate service as the crankkkkkkkkk is damaging the fluid modules and continued use may require fluid module replacement which almost triples your repair cost.
This is caused by the internal mechanisms being jammed. Your head needs Minor Preventative Maintenance which includes cleaning, lubrication and alignment. Depending on the model of the head and what parts are needed or not needed, the price may vary.
The Fluid Modules in Sachtler heads determine the amount of drag that is encountered in either the pan or tilt.
If you feel that your highest drag setting, #7 on most heads, feels like it is a 7 and you feel the same about the rest of the settings, then your fluid modules are okay. However, if you have an older head and your #7 drag setting feels like maybe a 4 (or lower) on a newer head, then the only way to increase the amount of drag is to replace the fluid modules in that section (pan or tilt). Or if you feel there is a very minimal difference of drag as you go from one drag setting to the next (e.g. 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, etc.), the only remedy is to replace the fluid modules.
The pan and tilt sections are independant of each other and each have there own set of fluid modules. Replacing all the fluid modules in either the pan or tilt (see Major Overhaul pricing), will basically restore the amount of drag for that section back to the way it was when it was brand new.
We will start this section by saying that these are Generic Estimates and prices vary by model and the specific problem(s) with your unit. In a Sachtler fluid head, the pan and the tilt sections/mechanisms are completely isolated from one another. Therefore, if a problem is experienced only in the pan, we can just repair the pan problems and not even disturb the tilt, and vice-versa. For Sachtler Equipment we have a standard flat labor rate of $230 per section‡. The pan, tilt, counter balance and sticks (legs) are each considered a section.
The below charts offer some approximate pricing based on model and type of service. Some repairs might be less and some might be more. All pricing below is based on repairing one section only.
‡ Flat labor rates apply to standard repairs for current models only. Additional labor charges may apply for 150mm models, older models and units with extensive, specialized or difficult issues.
|
AVERAGE Sachtler Repair Costs Parts & Labor average repair costs |
|
|---|---|
| 75mm: FSB Series, aktiv Series, V14II | ~$405–$600† |
| 75mm: DV Series | ~$440–$635† |
| 100mm: DV Series, aktiv Series, V15P, V15SB | ~$475–$670† |
| 100mm: V18II, V18III, V20II, V20III | ~$490–$685† |
| 100mm: V18P, V18SB, V18S1, V18S2, V20P, V20SB, V20S1 | ~$555–$750† |
| 150mm: V25P, Cine7+7HD | ~$550–$745† |
| Sticks (Legs) | ~$250–$400† |
|
MINOR Preventative Maintenance on Fluid Heads Parts & Labor including cleaning, lubricating and alignment |
|
| 75mm: FSB Series, aktiv Series, V14II | ~$450–$650† per section |
| 75mm: DV Series | ~$485–$685† per section |
| 100mm: DV Series, aktiv Series, V15P, V15SB | ~$520–$720† per section |
| 100mm: V18II, V18III, V20II, V20III | ~$535–$735† per section |
| 100mm: V18P, V18SB, V18S1, V18S2, V20P, V20SB, V20S1 | ~$600–$800† per section |
| 150mm: V25P, Cine7+7HD | ~$595–$795† per section |
|
MAJOR Overhaul on Fluid Heads Parts & Labor to replace Fluid Modules, as well as cleaning, lubricating and alignment |
|
| 75mm: FSB Series, V14II | ~$860–$1060† per section |
| 75mm: DV Series | ~$1115–$1315† per section |
| 100mm: DV Series, V15P, V15SB | ~$1125–$1325† per section |
| 100mm: V18II, V18III, V20II, V20III | ~$1655–$1855† per section |
| 100mm: V18P, V18SB, V18S1, V18S2, V20P, V20SB, V20S1 | ~$1950–$2150† per section |
| 150mm: V25P, Cine7+7HD | ~$1950–$2150† per section |
For larger models please contact us.
Good cleaning, lubrication and alignment usually takes care of gaps that are encountered, when the head is moved from a stationary position (i.e. "play" before a smooth movement from a stationary position. See this FAQ). Cleaning, lubrication and alignment, also generally takes care of a "stuck" or a "jammed" drag dial, that cannot be moved into/out-of certain numbered positions.
Minor Preventative Maintenance or most any other work we do to a head will not increase the amount of drag in either the pan or tilt. The only thing that will increase the amount of drag is replacement of the fluid modules (major overhaul pricing above).
The Fluid Modules in Sachtler heads determine the amount of drag that is encountered in either the pan or tilt. Replacement of the fluid modules in either the pan or tilt, is the only way to increase drag for that section, see Major Overhaul pricing. If you are unhappy with the amount of drag in either the pan or tilt, see this FAQ about Drag.
A few years ago, Sachtler revamped their part numbering scheme, from a mostly numeric system with dashes (i.e. 1000-06), to a alpha-numeric system without any dashes (i.e. sko12e0314). Therefore many parts have 2 part numbers, an old-style number and a new-style number. In our database we note both numbers. On our site, the manufacture number field will contain the new-style number and our item number will generally contain the older-style number. All new models and parts only have a new-style number and both fields will be the same. On Exploded Drawings you may find some drawings with old-style numbers and some with new-style numbers. Whether you have an old-style or new-style number makes no difference when using our website as you can enter either number into the search box on our site and it will show you a match!
† Prices vary by model being serviced. Pricing is approximate and actual charges may be less or more depending on model and circumstances.
‡ Flat labor rates apply to standard repairs for current models only. Additional labor charges may apply for 150mm models, older models and units with extensive, specialized or difficult issues.