Repair pan on Sachtler Ace M head?

[Dave Kennard]

Does anyone have any info / advice on repairing a Sachtler Ace M head that has got sand in it affecting the panning?

You can hear the sand / grit when panning. And if you make a quick pan with the pan drag set to 3 it will click and jump (as if the pan drag settings are being changed). Video showing the issues:

Sachtler Ace M Head Bad Pan - YouTube

I found a good repair video here:

Sachtler Ace Tripod Head Pan Drag Repair - YouTube

But I feel I may need to dismantle further than they go in that video. From the parts diagram, it looks like there is a screw that goes in from the top, but I have no idea how to take the head apart from the top. The video just covers taking it apart from the bottom.

I have taken it apart from the bottom partially, but need to order a breaker bar for getting the bolt out. I just wondered if anyone can offer any advice on dismatling the head or where the problem likely is?

[Allan Black]

Oooooh Dave, that’s really painful to listen to. Sorry I can’t help you, but I just wanted to say Congratulations!

One post in eleven years. Beudy mate you win helpful replies from our gang of experts.

And here they come. Good luck!
Cheers.

[Chris Soucy]

Hi Dave,

It might be worth firing a query to Sachtler UK

https://www.sachtler.com/en/contact-us/

and check out what a service & clean would set you back. I'm not sure anything but a factory rebuild will get it back to "as new", but then I've never wanted to gut one of those things so I'm not in a position to comment one way or the other.

Regards,


CS

[Dave Kennard]

Hi Chris

I will give them a go, but based on quotes I have seen online I am pretty sure any professional repair will cost far more than the head is worth.

[Dave Kennard]

They replied pretty quickly, unfortunately it was as I thought:

I'm afraid we do not provide service manuals for Ace products.
Full strip down to clean all the sand out of the head will cost in the region of £350 - £390 plus VAT and shipping

[Chris Soucy]

Yep, that's pretty steep. Hmm, guess you better tool up and get stuck in then.

As a matter of interest, what's a new one going to set you back if the worst happens, I'm not familiar with UK prices?

It strikes me that one of the problems with any strip down is going to be sand contamination of pretty well every lubricant/ semi fluid compound contained therein. Can you source them from Sachtler as spare parts, some of the viscosities must be quite critical, or am I over thinking this?

Regards,

CS

[Dave Kennard]

I have another one, so there's no need to buy a replacement if I can't fix this. It's just I would like to get it fixed and working again. It's an old model so you can't buy it new, and I don't think they ever sold the head standalone. But the legs + head sells in excellent condition on MPB for £464 including tax.

I didn't think they listed the grease, but I just checked and they do - Kluber ISOFLEX TOPAS L 32 N. Though whether it is actually the same grease needed for all parts, I'm not sure. I have some general purpose grease and silicone oil in various viscosities, so assuming I can actually clean out the sand, I will probably try what I already have first as the Kluber grease is relatively expensive.

[Allan Black]

Hi Dave. It occurred to me that Doug Jensen at Vortex Media in Florida answers a lot of questions about Sachtler tripods, I think he sells them. He’s a member here, but I think he said he was going to Alaska on a job. Not sure.

However you might look up his contact details here and shoot him an email. Worth a shot.
Cheers.

[Doug Jensen]

Hi Allan, I don't sell tripods, I just happen to own a half-dozen Sachtler and Oconnor tripods. Unfortunately, I have no insight to repairs or service. Especially since none of mine are the ACE model. If you want it serviced right, contact them through regular channels and send it in. I've had to get a few repairs made over the last 40 years and it has always been fast and at reasonable price. Personally, this not the kind of thing I'd ever attempt fixing on my own.