2006Steadi-Newbies forum
Looseness detected between yoke arms and gimbal post on a new Steadicam Flyer
20 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- A new Steadicam Flyer developed noticeable play between the yoke arm bearings and the central gimbal post after only a few hours of use, causing audible clicking and visible loss of dynamic balance during drop tests and tilting maneuvers.
- The problem was resolved by adding a single spacer to the yoke and then completely disassembling, cleaning, lubricating, and reassembling the entire gimbal, yoke, and handle assembly.
- Minor vertical movement of approximately half a millimeter where the control handle connects to the gimbal may be a separate issue from yoke bearing looseness, though it does not necessarily interfere with normal camera operation.
- The fault was extremely subtle and required active flight testing at extreme tilt angles to detect; it could not be reliably identified during static inspection or basic setup procedures.
Depends on
- The original cause was never definitively explained; it may have resulted from factory settling after leaving manufacturing or possible impact damage during shipping to Australia.
- The detection and repair required factory-trained specialist expertise and specialized equipment; the problem was nearly undetectable through standard pre-flight checks.
- One operator reported experiencing similar minor looseness in a different Flyer unit, but this case was not fully investigated or resolved in the thread.