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Fotoguy20d

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I just received a Speed Graphic I had won at auction. As a bonus, it came with a tripod that when I put it together seemed to rival my Bogen 3o21 in size/weight. It's got a label on it that says Quickset Inc, Elevator Husky IV. Can anyone tell me anything about it? It seems more than solid enough to support a 4x5 Speed or GraphicView or pretty much anything else I could throw at it.

Thanks,
Dan
 
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I own two and have used one exclusively for 9+ years. I like it more than the bogen/manfrottos and feel it's made better than a lot of the newer ones.
 
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Oh, not sure which head you have.. I had a video head and have a 3 way pan tilt head. On mine there is a large plastic knob with threaded screw which is what holds your camera down to the head. Over time the large knob can get loose and pop out. Without it you'll have to get creative, possibly a trip to lowes or homedepot.

Also don't lean on the head with your body weight. I actually broke my video head that way (ooops).
 

John Kasaian

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A good friend has a Quickset Husky and it's a really nice tripod! I couldn't tell you more than that (but isn't that enuogh?)
 

Ralph Javins

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Good morning, Dan;

A little more information might be useful. The Quickset, Incorporated "Elevator Husky IV" does sound familiar to me. I think that was the one I had back in the 1960's-70's. I thought it was a "Hi-Boy IV." I do have a replacement one now, but it does not have the label on the center column.

Is it about 31 inches long with legs that have three sections of 20 inches each section? Does it weigh just under 8 pounds? Does it wind up about 5 & 1/2 feet high when set up, and the center column when cranked up raises the pan-tilt head platform to about 7 feet? Is it mainly made of aluminum? If it is, then my comments may apply.

The legs swing out and do not have any locks when swung in place. You swing out the legs and the weight of the equipment helps hold them out against the stops. The legs when extended are fairly sturdy. The black rubber caps on the ends of the legs are kind to the floor. You may notice some wear in the center column from the steel guide pin that goes in the groove of the center column. If you get sand or salt water in it, take it apart, clean it by washing it out in clean water, and dry it.

The only real problem I have found is the little, small steel pin that helps hold the top plate in the side-to-side tilt position. This problem appeared in the replacement Husky I bought. If you use a Phillips Number 3 screwdriver, you can take out the large flat head screw holding the top plate. Work over a large surface that will catch and hold the pin and the large thin washer that may fall out. A cookie sheet or pizza pan works nicely. Check the aluminum mounting surfaces to see if the pin has worked the hole for the pin out into an elongated slot. There are a couple of ways you can restore this, or you can just hand it to a machinist and say; "Fix, please." Keeping the shorter side-to-side clamp tight will help hold it in place until it can be repaired. Keeping it tight after it is repaired will prevent it from happening again.

Your comparison with a Bogen 3021 is surprising. I think my Husky is bigger than my Bogen 3021, especially in comparison to my 3021S. Clearly it is not bigger than my Bogen 3026.

I used my Husky mainly for holding my 35 mm camera very still. It was my first serious tripod purchase. For my 4 by 5, I have more stringent preferences. I use either the Bogen 3026 or an old Davis and Sanford Model B with an accessory stabilizing leg and an adapter plate I made for the D&S. The 3026 is about the minimum that makes me feel comfortable with the 4 by 5. The Husky does have a 1/4-20 screw thread for the camera. Most of the 4 by 5 equipment will prefer a 3/8-16 "European" screw thread. You can also purchase a Bogen or Gitzo 1/4-20 to 3/8-16 adapter to go with it. They are stainless steel. If you get a brass adapter, check it occasionally for wear, deformation, or thread stripping.

While I do not have my original Husky, the replacement I purchased recently has proven to be quite satisfactory and continues to add nice memories to those I still have of using my original.
 
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Fotoguy20d

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Ralph,

Thanks for the comparison. Sounds like yours is similar but not identical. This one weighs 7lbs (3021/3047 weighs just over 9). Leg segments are around 21 inches. With legs fully extended the head is around 5 feet and with center column fully cranked out it's a bit over 6. I never pull the column all the way out on the 3021 but I think they are comparable in height. They certainly look similar in size and construction side by side with the main difference being in the head. The Quickset has a 1/4 (as does the Bogen) - matches both my Speed Graphics and Graphic View II as well as Canon EOS gear so for right now I don't need to worry about that. I'll need to take a better look at the constrcution of this one and see hoe tight it's holding up. I've done well with the Bogen for my 4x5 gear (and, judging from the arc worn into the cork on the Quickset it's been used to hold a GV as well). My biggest beef with the Bogen is that it's too big and heavy to lug around. On a recent trip out west I left it home and used an old Velbon that really isn't up to the task of holding anything more than 3-4 lbs. Perhaps I'll be more willing to carry the Quickset. Is Quickset still around by the way? I've never heard of them before.

Thanks,
Dan
 

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Ralph Javins

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Good morning, Dan;

Thank you for the photographs. Your Quickset Elevator Husky IV does indeed look very much like mine.

One point of difference is the device that locks the 1/4-20 screw and camera to the top plate. Yours seems to be a locking lever. Mine is a large black plastic "wheel," and the original one also had that "wheel." Yours may be a later production unit.

The variation in weight could be just the calibration of my kitchen spring scale. I have thought about getting one of the newer strain gauge types.

Quickset, Incorporated. I do not know if they are still around. I have not heard anything about them for years. Only infrequently do I see any of their products on the used market. Perhaps I need to do an internet search for them.

Good luck with yours. I have found it to be a useful tool. Yes, it does weigh at least 7 pounds. I have always felt that having some mass helped to make a more stable platform and reduced the natural resonant frequency and vibration damping time. I was willing to make the additional effort to carry the tripod in exchange for the gains in making the more stable platform. The only real criticism I can offer about carrying the Husky IV is the looks that I got, and the time that I was escorted from an area by a guard who was convinced that I was a professional photographer who should not have been there. I guess it did wipe away most of the appearance of being just a normal tourist.
 

EdLeavitt

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old friend

Hi Dan & Hello Ralph,

I just stumbled across your thread about the Husky HiBoy IV. I have had mine since 1970 or thereabouts. I used it back then for my Linhof 4x5, Nikkormat, and on one occasion for an 8x10 Deardorf I took hiking in the Presidential Range in Hew Hampshire. (Short day hike due to the weight.) Mine has the black plastic wheel that Ralph mentioned to snug down the 1/4-20 stud.

I put mine to considerable use in the last few years, albeit supporting a Nikon DSLR (can I say that without getting banished?). My only problem is that one of the legs has a sticky collet bushing which makes adjusting it a little tricky.

As I understand it the Husky IV was the four section leg that takes you up to about 8 feet high. I was told that there was a Husky III that was shorter and more popular in those days. Mine was given to me the fellow who ran the Photo section of the R.I.T. bookstore while I was there. I recall being a bit overwhelmed by the gift. I think it was about $80 at the time.

(Side note to Ralph: are you the Javins that used to present classes with myself and others at Marina's Comm Academy in Seattle? If so, I didn't know you were an old silver halide fan.)
 

Ralph Javins

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Ed Leavitt! Good Grief! Where are you?

Welcome to APUG!

Yes, the Communications Academy is still going strong, and, although I have told Marina that I was thinking about not giving my evolving presentation on "Communications in The Field" again, she has sternly informed me that I am not getting out of it that quickly or easily. It seems that this is still considered to be one of the major draws for the Communications Academy. Yes, I am still there, and you can see some of my recent efforts by looking at www.commacademy.com.

If you look at the website, you might also notice that many of the photographs there are mine. I seem to have become the "official photographer" of the Communications Academy by default. Most of it is just journalistic photography, but I am trying to make sure that all of the exhibitors are shown and there are clear and recognizable photographs of them, as well as the speakers and others who present something for the benefit of the attending people with an interest in backup and emergency communications in time of need or disaster.

And, yes, I definitely do have in interest in photography, including "older" forms of it. The equipment here runs from 16mm subminiature through 35mm and 2 & 1/4 Square and ends up at 4 by 5 with a SINAR F and F1. And, yes, there is the DSLR for that photo-journalistic work mentioned. The 35mm stuff has become embarrassing. It used to be that I just explained that I was a very well equipped 35mm photographer. Now I admit that I can no longer stave off the applied label of "collector."

Nice to hear from you, Ed. Are you still in the South Puget Sound Region? I also promise to send to you a private message.
 
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