3030 head question

[George Hofmann]

I got a Bogen/Manfrotto 3030 head from eBay recently. It is quite nice and meets my needs. There is a little discrepancy however. The quick release plate has a locking mechanism but I can't move the clamp lever far enough so that the lock can be engaged. I don't see how this could ever have worked. It either looks like a bad design flaw or a massive misunderstanding by the user. This isn't a big deal because I don't think the clamp is going to disengage since there is a significant amount of friction holding it in place. But I'm sure curious as to what I am doing wrong here. Any suggestions?

[mrladewig]

Not sure. The clamp on my 3030 works fine. If I let the spring close the clamp, I could flip the pin for the lock with no trouble.

[reellis67]

Are you certain that you have the proper plate for that head? There are different Bogen quick release plates, and if you have the wrong one it could explain why it does not work as it should.

- Randy

[mrladewig]

I'm pretty sure that only the RC2 will fit in this head. There may be different versions of this plate though.

[George Hofmann]

Thanks for the clue regarding having the wrong plate. The plate I have certainly looks right but there is no identifying mark on it. I'll get a new 3157 plate and see if that solves the problem.

George

[Alan Davenport]

Did you also turn the little brass locking lever that locks the big locking lever that releases the plate?

[George Hofmann]

I bought a new mounting plate and it works perfectly. So I'm not sure what the other plate is. It works but the big lever can't move far enough to allow the little brass lever to lock the mechanism. No biggie. Kinda mysterious.

[Mike Wojcik]

Check two things - some of the very old 3157/RC2 type quick releases will not fit that head, because both sides are beveled and run the length of the plate. the new ones have one side with a shortened centered beveled edge that fits the front of the head. Or, there may be a brass safety that is not being disengaged. if the safety lock lever is broken off you would not be able to flip the safety off thus allowing the quick release lever to release the plate. Look for a brass mechanism on the back next to the quick release lever, there should be a tiny handle that will rotate and release/lock the safety.