HVX + Cobra Crane..will the 501 head handle it?

J

JWinter

Well-known member
HVX + Cobra Crane..will the 501 head handle it?


I also have a 516 on a bigger tripod (but Im trying to travle light as possibe.)
 
Why would you buy the cobra crane? Go and look into the Kessler crane. I bought one and use it with a 503 head and it works flawlessly. It is a fool proof solution that could hold up to a nuclear blast. It is the single most useful piece of equipment that I have purchased since my ARRI 3 light kit.

WWW.KESSLERCRANE.COM

Good luck
 
This very sturdy CobraCrane l + elevates your camcorder to 14 feet $399

i see that unit may be better...dont think it even existed when i bought my crane...id probaly buy it now though if I get a new one (buy the way, thanks for hijacking my question haa haa)
 
Last edited:
Oh hey sorry, I wasn't trying to hijack anything. I (incorrectly) assumed that you were looking for purchase advice. I will be more careful about how I post. I just can't stop singing the praises of the Kessler Crane (it is significantly more expensive that the cobra for the same height). It has made all the diffrence in the production value of the projects that I shoot anymore.

Good luck to you, if the cobra behaves the same way as the Kessler, the 501 should be fine but the 503 is a more stable and sturdy solution.
 
Cobra Cranes are ok, the other crane Kessler are ok also, the biggest Kessler crane stands at 12 feet with an extension. Not bad, but there is better...

http://www.mediumblend.com/abelstore/customer/product.php?productid=698&cat=111&page=1

Best crane i seen out there, cheap, high quality, durable. I have owned one for 7 months. And it works like a beauty. If you buy the extension the crane stands at 36.5 feet!!!. Not only can you get amazing footage. But the crane goes higher then any other cheap crane i seen.
 
The original question was will the 501 handle the CC1 with HVX. Yes it will, but over time will damage the head, since it exceeds head's capacity of 13lbs. 516 is more suited, has a 22lb capacity.
 
Actually the weight rating on the heads is based on what the torsional capacity of the head is capable of. This means that when the weight is being placed on the head with out any directional torsion factored into the weight on the head, it is capable of much more than what it is rated at. My 503 has the kessler crane (about 25 lbs) my dvx (about six pounds) and the counter balance weights (about 30 lbs) and the head has no complaints at rest. However when I get to a full forward or rearward tilt, the mechanisim starts to fail and the head goes to its max and then the complaints start.

At this full position the torsional vector of that amount of weight is roughly a 65 to 75 degree vector of the full weight being placed on the limiting factor (I am not exactly sure what it is) of the head. I would assume with out doing the calculations that the vector weight is around 40 lbs, well outside the 503's capabilities. Now this only happens when I try to put the camera on the floor and point it up or put the camera all the way up and try to point it down. With a little practice you can learn how to distribute some support to the crane in these positions.

My point being that the weight ratings of the head and the ability of that head to handle the crane aren't the same thing. The 501 will probably handle the cobra without an issue, it isn't the best solution but most certainly a workable one. The 501 most likely won't break, it will just become an unruley situation.
 
That is true, if you are just panning the head left and right, no problem, but as soon as you start working a tilt up or down move into the shot, you start running into trouble. That is the what the cobra does. Like the kessler, you can crank the pan handle up and down to tilt the camera at the top of the crane. Eventually that mechanism will give out and start to pop, then break.
 
thanks...right...the cobra is OK but "unruly" is an understatemnt

i can get a little gold out of many bad shots...I will definatley keep looking around.
 
I'm looking at this precise issue - choosing a head for a particular jib. JWinter, can you tell us how your choice worked out?

Can any of this older string's posters report seeing since then the sort of failure Naanan and Rush predict - logically, it seems to me - above?

My jib's manufacturer swears that the 501 head has been used without trouble for over a decade for thousands of my type of jib carrying my sorts of load.

My loading conditions on the head will be:

  • 40 - 50 lbs when operating at the mount. This load will come sideways when the head is steeply tilted - as it may often be - risking the problem Naanan and Rush predict above.
  • 50 - 60 lbs when operating at the tip of the jib. Luckily this will always be vertical on the head mechanism because the head remains level no matter the angle of the arm on my type of jib. (I'll be tilting at the tip with a head there, hence the extra weight.)
 
Well this is not to hijack the thread but, there are many options to save your shooting head. Kessler made a swivel head originally and you can look for one of those in the classified section here..hint..hint... You can also pick up older Manfrotto heads like the 116 for reasonable price and they can handle the jib no problem. I had a 12 foot Kessler, it was awesome and I used a PT20 head most of the time with a Kessler swivel head on heavy duty Manfrotto 528xb sticks. I also used my Sachtler head on their bowl adapter for front end operation. Any jib put lots of strain on the head and the legs, you should try to avoid using the one you shoot with.
 
I don't want to hijack the intent of my own post either, but aren't I correct to be wary of used head unless from a reputable source? Can't know how damaged or close to failure they may be from misuse?
 
I suggest that if you are going to use a jib you might be better off to rent one and see what you get. If you haven't used one before, it will give you a chance to learn not only about the hardware but operating one. After all the most expensive part of the jib will be what you are flying on it...your camera. Like all things in this profession, you almost always get what you pay for. Maybe you should buy a complete package that includes a head for the jib? There are several good jibs out there that offer that, and I assume your tripod can handle the weight. You might also want to look into heavy duty wheels for it, camera remotes, monitoring and the issues of transport associated with a jib. I look forward to reading both of the results and wish you both the best of luck.
 
Yes - rental's been helpful. (And I didn't mean to suggest above that Brian wouldn't be a reputable source of a used head.) For an extensive shoot a while ago, I loved operating a rented portajib (complete with its support system and dolly wheels) from both the front and rear. Got the jib bug then and haven't lost it. Learned a huge amount from that experience.

Also finding benefit from dialogue on this forum with you and others about the many models not available to me for rent (or even view). It's priceless to be learning from folks with more experience about the factors affecting various patterns of ongoing use - I hope it helps us all.

So I continue to appreciate any thoughts if this thread continues.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top