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How to remove Manfrotto 128 RC tripod head (1 Viewer)

six years!

Hi skipshand! I tried exactly the opposite i.e. I put the head and the column in the FREEZER for about 45 minutes. Even my little daughter would have managed to detach the head from the column then, if only it wasn't so late (spent some time using brute force to no effect...).

You spent the last six years trying to detach the head from the tripod column?
 
Just went through the same process as many other have documented previously in this thread and after a lot of failures, eventually found that cold did the trick (saving me having to drill into the head).

I tried the suggestion of removing the plastic lock nut to unscrew the pan from the pan base ('step 2' from OzzieBob's post above) and the screw driver slot wings immediately stripped off. So much for that!

I then tried the hot water technique without luck.

Defeated, I went out birding yesterday with the head still attached to my old legs and while scoping in the cold weather the head started to unscrew!

I had left the set screws loosened in the hopes that something like this might happen, but I had pretty much resigned this to failure as much of the exposed metal on my rig is quite rusty from salt spray and I had never detached the head from legs in many years of use (similar state to what others have described).

Anyway, this lends some credence to the freezer method others have suggested. And if you don't have a big enough freezer (as I don't), just wait until winter (if your latitude allows) and leave your scope outside with the screws loosened. It just might work.
 
How to remove head

Remove wing nut from inside top of head.
Using flat blade screwdriver, unscrew the threaded shaft.
Lift the head off its aluminum base.
This allows one to grasp the aluminum base and turn it counterclockwise off the tripod.
 
show the screws

I removed my Manfrotto 501 head off my Bogen 3236 tripod to show the screws that keep the head from turning. I also lubed up screws etc. I thought someone might be interested. Also a reminder to me to loosen the screws if I try to remove the head and forget , just like I did this morning.;)
 

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My 128RC head broke (something broke off the QR plate release mechanism). Had the same problem as many of you with my 128RC head frozen to the center column. Putting it in the freezer did the trick, came right off. Of course I did try WD40, hot water, and a hammer first.
 
Now reading this old thread ,I realized that the same thing that happened to Sancho ,happened to my 128RC a couple years ago..I dont knowif that is what happened to Lomatium..
But I was able to fix my head simply drilling a small hole and passing a screw through to hold the spring in place..of course i had to cut the screw and file it flush on the top,but the head was repaired to perfect operation..sharing just in case this problem happens to others
 
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