Lock Knob on Manfrotto BeFree 494 Ballhead is Stuck

[cloudwrangler]

Hi, after letting someone borrow my tripod, I learned the locking knob on my Manfrotto tripod ballhead won't turn.

The ballhead joint will move when I adjust friction, but I know this is not a good way to do it in the long-term.

Is there any way to get the knob unstuck? It simple won't turn in either direction.

 

[wiltw]

Arca B1 ballheads used to be known to freeze up...this was the solution, in case that might give insight for your circumstance...

"If your Arca-Swiss B1 does freeze up, the first thing to do is to stay calm and not panic. The problem is easily remedied and requires no tools to fix. Simply grab the main locking knob firmly and force-rotate it clockwise about an eighth of an inch. This seems backwards since you generally tighten the knob by turning clockwise, but this is precisely why you should learn this before you need it. No amount of force in the counter-clockwise direction will loosen the knob, yet it is surprisingly easy to unfreeze the knob when you force it clockwise. Once this is done, normal operation should be restored with no harm to the ballhead whatsoever, and you should be back in business in less than a minute."​

 

[cloudwrangler]

Wow that did it... Thank you for this counterintuitive answer

 

[wiltw]

 

[gone]

Great information wiltw. That fix might come in handy for other things that are stuck too.