replacing quick release plate

<p>I have a nice, solid sears tripod and it is no longer in production I need to find a quick release plate to replace the one that is missing. Sears no longer carries replacement parts. The model # is 469-84044. Any suggestions would be helpful.<br>

Thanks for reading!</p>

<p>I would either try and find a complete tripod on ebay or, given the diagram on the Sears website for this model, see if another manufacturers QR plate fits.</p>

<p>I'm sure it would have been a rebranded version of another tripod that may still exist, and you might manage to find it (or spare parts) by another name. However, my google fu is failing me, and I can't even tell what it looks like. I tried searching for "photography tripod" on the Sears site and it offered me a book...<br />

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If all else fails, I'm sure we could recommend you a replacement tripod (if you tell us you budget and what you want to do with it), but it seems rude to resort to that when you're happy with what you've got. Ironically, the only reference to this tripod I could definitively find was someone else who was missing a QR plate for it.<br />

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I assume it did get lost in the field, and it's not that you acquired it from someone who might still have the plate?</p>

<p>[[i can't even tell what it looks like.]]<br>

I googled "tripod 469-84044" and the second link was: </p>

<p>http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/part-model/Sears-Parts/Tripod-Parts/Model-46984044/0934/0543000<br>

which gets you to:</p>

<p>http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/part-model/Sears-Parts/Tripod-Parts/Model-46984044/0934/0543000/00051483/00001?blt=06&prst=&shdMod=</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Wow. My Google-fu was having a bad day. (Thank you, Rob. I'll go and burn my computer science degree.)<br />

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That plate looks awfully familiar, but I'm struggling to say what from. Sloping sides and flat front/back is, I think, a Giottos thing. Sloping front and back but flat sides, as this tripod seems to have, is giving me more trouble. I'll be intrigued if someone can identify it for you, now.<br />

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Sorry not to be more use to you, Diane. On the plus side, it does look as though the whole head assembly comes off. If what's under it is a 1/4" screw (I can't actually tell), you may be able just to screw the camera directly to that. If it's a 3/8" screw, or if you want to have a head on there anyway, we might be able to point you at a suitable replacement head. (Do you particularly want a pan/tilt head, or might you be better off with a cheap ball head anyway?)</p>

<p>Based on the links Rob posted it looks like a small rectangular plate. Perhaps there's a similar Manfrotto plate?</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

<p>Henry - looking through the list (on B&H! - though I double checked on Manfrotto's page), I can't see one. The nearest Manfrotto plate seems to be the 200PL, and that's got flat ends and sloped sides. The Sears plate appears to be the reverse.<br />

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Nonetheless, I'm sure I've seen it somewhere, but I couldn't say where. That's going to bug me.</p>

<p>There are no size specs on the plans, but it certainly looks like the Manfrotto quick release plate might be close. <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=554141&is=REG&A=details&Q=">Look here</a>--you'll see the plate on the page as an available accessory. You just need to get the dimensions of your slot and this plate to see if they might fit. BH is pretty good at returns if it seems it might fit but ends up not doing so.</p>

<p>Although they do not appear to support Sears tripods, the following site has many plates, and usually posts the dimensions, so if you're patient you might find what you need:</p>

<p>http://www.tripodquickrelease.com/</p>

<p>I am guessing that Sears brand is a rebadging of some other common type, such as sold by K Mart or Wal Mart or Ritz, so you might get lucky. </p>

<p>If the head can be unscrewed, I'd also vote for just replacing it with a higher quality head.</p>

<p>Many good ones are available used on eBay for relatively little. </p>

<p>A machinist, either professional or hobbyist, easily could make one. It could be reverse engineered to fit.</p>

<p>I only have a small home shop, but could make this relatively quickly. Know any machinists in your area?</p>

<p>John: Again, the Manfrotto plate has sloping sides (long edges) and flat ends. The Sears part suggests sloping ends (short edges) and flat sides.<br />

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Matthew: Interesting site (God I'm dull). The Vivitar VPT-20 or the Velbon QB-5L or QB-6 <i>might</i> fit. I've not looked through all the options, but I picked off the manufacturers that I've heard of, and who might make them for others.<br />

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I would imagine that getting one made might cost more than buying a cheap head from ebay, though getting a plate that's sloped on all sides and attacking it with a file to flatten it might be cost-effective. A quick ebay search for heads with a quick release showed up about $19, including shipping, though I might pay a couple of dollars more for a Beike ball head. Not that I know anything about them or whether they're stable, but they appear to use an Arca-Swiss-compatible QR plate, which means <i>you'll never have this problem again</i>. (It would be nice if everyone standardized on this, with the possible exception of Manfrotto, who have been doing their own weird thing for long enough that they get a pass.) Beike were just the first brand in price order that came up which appears to use an Arca plate - please don't take this as an authoritative recommendation.<br />

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Secondary disclaimer: The ultra-cheap tripod heads aren't necessarily going to hold much weight. Dare we ask what you're putting on the top of this, in case it's an issue?<br />

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Good luck!</p>

<p>I would agree that having a plate made is probably not cost effective, unless you do your own machining and enjoy the challenge. First of all, most plates are pretty thick, and have a recess in the bottom into which the mounting screw is tucked, and this requires a dedicated mounting screw with a folding handle, as well as a piece of material that is pretty thick and requires complex machining.</p>

<p> </p>

Looks to me like a velbon quick release plate and tripod. Had a few that I used for umbrella stands. Couldn't use in the

field with telephoto lens. Kind of a cool tripod though. Liked the geared center post

<p>Thank you all for the insightful suggestions. <br>

The tripod is is considered a camera/video tripod and is heavy and durable. The 2 way pan head is spring loaded in the handle adjuster (vertical adjustment.) Most of all, it will hold my pentax 645, which has a lot of weight. <br>

Probably be easier to get a replacement head.</p>

<blockquote>Most of all, it will hold my pentax 645, which has a lot of weight.</blockquote>

<p>Lithium batteries. Made a world of difference to mine.</p>

 

<blockquote>Probably be easier to get a replacement head.</blockquote>

<p>Good luck (though I retract my suggestion of an $18 head from ebay if you have a 645!) A pan head wouldn't be my first choice for a 645 anyway, for what it's worth (actually I usually hand-hold mine, but I find a <a href="http://www.photo.net/filters-bags-tripods-accessories-forum/00b5rk">ball head</a> much easier to use) - so I hope you get a better experience out of going through the hassle of a replacement! And I guess, for the 645, you want <i>two</i> QR plates? :-)</p>