How to fix Manfrotto 410 tripod head loose gears

How to fix a Manfrotto 410 tripod head

Parts:

[twbrkfd]

Great info! My 410 was shipped attached to a 475b tripod in a triangular FedEx box and the top 410 knob had broke through the cardboard and was sticking out; it got bent. Just got a used 410, and it has some problems with two of the worms; can tell it is worn. Took it apart and the brass worm was fine. It was the ring gears that were all worm; made cheaply of aluminum. Used a heat gun to remove the stickers. UPDATE: Flipped all ring gears around 180 degrees, re-greased, and works like new! I wonder how many people don't know that can be done! Actually, can be done FOUR times since only 1/4 of the ring gear is used on the x and x axis which get the most wear. one question I have for Manfrotto is why using a 5/32 allen wrench SAE screw and not all metric! Unless it actually uses a 4mm Allen wrench.
UPDATE: I said it works like new after re-positioning the ring gears, but it doesn't. When rotating the knob it went from tight to not-so-tight. Indicating the worm shaft was bent; both the upper worms were bent. The upper knobs should rotate just as smoothly as the bottom pan knob (which gets the least amount of strain). Ordered two new worms from Manfrotto Spares in the UK. Installing the worms was a problem. The worm shaft has 3/4 inch of worm at one end and M8x1.25 thread at the other for the knob. The way they lock the knob to the worm is by driving the set screw INTO THE THREADS of the knob's thread; bad bad bad! This causes damage to the threads which makes removing the knobs difficult. Had to clamp the knob in a wood vise and use a giant tipped screwdriver to unscrew using the slot at the end of the worm shaft. After separating, had to clean the threads of the knob before screwing it onto the new worm shaft. The knob should easily screw onto the worm shaft. Note the knob should be VERY tight against the worm end. A bit loose will translate to backlash/play in the movement. After snugging it up, snug up the set screw. After all that, it works good as new.
Long of the short of it; a knob that does not rotate smoothly 360 degrees is probably bent. Replacing it will require a giant flat tip screwdriver and an M8x1.25 tap to clean up the threads in the knob which get partly damaged when unscrewing the worm.
Works good as new now!
One comment. The way that Manfrotto locks the knob to the worm shaft is a VERY poor design when it comes to replacing the worm.

[j_g]

Glad i stumbled on this video, was about to buy a Benro head to replace this!

[tonymartie]

Thanks for this. It will be very helpful when the 410.03 part arrives. I dropped my 410 head today(!), pan knob was completely locked after the impact. Oy!

[abhparsons]

Great help! Thanks for sharing this. I
Managed to sort the play in mine by simply tightening using the flat head slot you showed. Got the stickers off without damaging by using a small palette knife. It now feels much steadier. Thank you!

[andrewreedie]

Really easy to follow video. Spoke to Alex about parts and everyone at Borge's Imaging were really helpful. All my parts requirements ordered straight away.

[timothyhawken]

well. I probably should have done some research on the design of the tripod to know how much was going into it. I have had a similar problem where the horizontal gear would only turn to the left and not the right, and I think I have pushed the gear too hard and left it in the back of the car with the tripod head still on. Knowing the insides of it was very helpful to taking care of the product in the end. thanks for the video.

And man. I hate when products try to make them flashy by covering up the bolts with the important stickers. This comes back to the right to repair argument where we can't repair it or resell it without it having defects anymore because in order to repair, we have to mess up the stickers

[rodolfoarielramirez]

Thank you for the video! Please, could you tell me which kind of grease are using? thank you in advance for your reply.

[KIRIAKOOUTDOORS]

Now do one for the 808 head cause I’m about to throw mine out the window haha 😂

[garygruber]

Always clean off the old grease (and apply some more) before reassembly.

[stevenball]

My 410 head must be getting on for nearly 20 years old and I think the grease may have dried out. Does this happen and is it worth stripping it down, cleaning off the old grease and regressing. Thanks great video BTW.

[arndtbc]

If you're replacing only one of the knobs do you have to take the whole gear assembly apart or can you just pop the spring under the base of the knob? I wish you were in the USA, I would send it to you. Great video!

[KennyMcNett]

This is fantastic. Thank you! Question: the tension knob has a plastic part attached to it that screws into the inner casing (not the rod, the plastic housing). That plastic part broke off my tension knob, so even though I got the drum gear out and I can see the rod, the plastic housing part that broke off is preventing me from pulling the rod out piece out. Does that make sense? Any ideas?

[the_life_of_thang_nho]

lesson: don't leave your tripod in the car where it can swing around and get banged. Mine knob became tight because it probably hit the door of my car. I ended up using a hammer to make it unstuck. Now it turns normally

[TheLorenzoni]

Nice video, gotta crack mine open! New stickers by any chance ?

[LaszloMag]

hah, who would have guessed it's not ideal for the tripod head to be bouncing around in the trunk like a rabbit on speed 🙄 No wonder mine never seem to last more than a few weeks before they misalign

[Luka]

I don't mean to be an ass, but I wouldn't call that a gear myself but a threaded rod instead. A threaded rod that engages a gear.

[trident]

Awesome! Information shared! Thank you 😊