SteadiHub
2005Gimbal forum

Gimbal bearing stiffness problem on Flyer steadicam rig

21 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.

What the thread found

  • A Flyer gimbal that was only two months old and had been used six times developed severe stiffness in both the yoke bearings (side-to-side tilt) and handle bearings (front-to-back tilt), making it impossible to balance the sled properly
  • The affected gimbal would not hang vertically even with quick drop time and remained several degrees off vertical in multiple directions, introducing shake into the video
  • Flyer gimbals should normally be very smooth and free-moving in all axes, so sticky bearings indicate a specific problem that requires professional inspection
  • A spring pin in the Flyer arm can work loose if its retaining grub screw becomes unseated, causing the pin to fall apart
  • The grub screw holding the spring pin has some form of adhesive applied to prevent it from loosening
  • Grit or debris entering the gimbal bearings is a likely cause of stiffness in an otherwise well-maintained rig

Depends on

  • The affected rig was only two months old with limited use history, so it is unclear if this is a manufacturing issue or an inherent vulnerability
  • The cause of the gimbal stiffness was not definitively determined in this thread
  • The problem occurred on a rig that had not been exposed to water, sand, or harsh conditions

Parts

Gimbal Bearing

Same gear or parts

  1. 2026Lubricating a Steadicam gimbal bearing after cleaning, and the Tri-Flow supply problemOperator practice
  2. 2026The pan bearing in the gimbal: what a Kaydon bearing is, what fails, and what a change of supplier would and would not meanOperator practice
  3. 2026Pan bearing replacement for Steadicam® PRO gimbal: manufacturer change from Kaydon to SSB and supply implicationsFacebookSteadicam operators group
  4. 2026Adjusting play in a Steadicam® Master Series gimbal yoke and balancing it for smooth 180-degree pan without tipping.DisputedFacebookSteadicam operators group
Read the original threadAsk about this threadThe answer cites the archive