My New Tripod Dolly

[Paul Bruening]

It has big, 8" pneumatic casters so I can jump curbs and go over rough terrains without rattling everything out of adjustment. The uprights are drop-down, lock-down stabilizers. It's in its extended setting for best stability (bigger footprint). It has a compressed setting for getting through doorways. Most importantly, it is made of steel and can handle the kind of weights involved with gear heads, blimps and Mitchells. Recently, I've really enjoyed using those hammered paint finish spray paints. This one's in hammered black.

[Alain Lumina]

This looks nice and sturdy as well as SIMPLE.

 

 

But from my limited knowledge this is mostly for translport between shots, it

would only work for moving shots in very smooth floors, right?

What about poured concrete?

 

Can you tell where you bought the wheels?

 

You just drilled through the cross pieces and bolted the wheels to the bottom of them?

 

Those struts that are pointed up and then seem to rotate down,

were they part of tripod original design or did you add them?

 

Thanks!

 

It has big, 8" pneumatic casters so I can jump curbs and go over rough terrains without rattling everything out of adjustment. The uprights are drop-down, lock-down stabilizers. It's in its extended setting for best stability (bigger footprint). It has a compressed setting for getting through doorways. Most importantly, it is made of steel and can handle the kind of weights involved with gear heads, blimps and Mitchells. Recently, I've really enjoyed using those hammered paint finish spray paints. This one's in hammered black.

[Paul Bruening]

Thanks for showing an interest, Alain,

 

First, you or someone you know has to be able to weld. I've got an ordinary Home Depot bought, MIG welder that I use and an assortment of hand, power tools, and hand tools on hand.

 

You can get the wheels at your local Tractor Supply. I got these on a close-out sale for about $15 each. They usually go for about $50 or more.

 

I could do limited dolly shots with this if I just had to. Like you say, it would take a fairly smooth floor. It's mainly for getting the camera around rough locations without rattling all the optics out of whack on the cameras and lenses. My previous tripod dolly had 3 inch plastic caster wheels. I grimaced every time I had to cross a street with it watching the camera vibrate violently. Plus getting over normal street hurdles like curbs was a 2 manned, dolly scraping experience.

 

Part of the trick of this type of design is how square tube (box tube) fits inside itself. I use 1.25" for the outsides and 1" for the insides. That way the inside piece can telescope through the outside piece. On the stabilizers the inside piece simply drops down through the outside piece. You pick up the leg of the dolly a little and lock the stabilizer in place (use little slabs of wood when locking down onto Grandma's wood floors). * All of the lock downs are Grade 8 nuts welded into place over a drilled hole on the 1.25" piece. A bolt has a little piece of 1" welded to the top of that for a knob. The bolt is run down through the nut and hole to provide a handled lock down mechanism against the 1" piece. I put two in 90 degree relation for stuff that needs the extra alignment control and strength.*

 

The dolly's center is the same way. The outer pieces telescope in and out for a wide footprint or narrow footprint. They have additional pass-through bolts that act as pins as a bit of over-design and operational confidence.

 

'zat cover it? I can bore you with more, if you like. I can also shoot some close-ups of specific parts.