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Steadicam Stand, Wheels and Mounts question


Joseph Hartzler

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Hello all,

I noticed American Grip has multiple variations of stands for steadicam with different diameter footprint and other size differences, what size stand has worked best for you for holding and balancing your rig?

Also I've seen multiple brands but what wheels have best worked for your stands? Im looking for the more heavy duty/off roading kind of wheels (not that I would use them for transporting my rig because of possibly damaging my rig from vibrations).

Also what are the mounts to attach the wheels to the stand called and where would i find them? Or is this something I could ask for/buy at American Grip?

Thank you for any help,

Joe

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Hi Joe,

 

I have an American stand (steel with a riser) and have tried several different wheel combinations. The hard casters that you can get from American have worked out the best for me. They are the lightest and easiest to roll around. While not ideal for off road applications they still allow the stand to be carried easily. And are the best choice for stage or indoor shooting.I have had the 8" inflatables from Backstage and they are hard to move around and have a huge footprint. They also have some smaller inflatables which I got and never use either.

I'm considering switching to a lightweight aluminum stand without wheels as the grips or AC's often just carry the rig. And a lot easier to ship. And I do have a baby pin on my cart for the dock for big moves without the vibration abuse of the stand.

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Hey Joe, I don't have a stand. I dock on my cart and just make sure my cart is near set. On the very rare occasion I can't fit my cart I just take a baby c stand or a combo stand from the grips or electricians and use that. But I actually do not like my dock too close to set. I prefer to hold the rig. If I decide to dock it, I want to actually walk away from the action where nobody can talk to me :D

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Hi Joseph,

 

I have the American LS-32 stand with the 12 inch straps, and the Backstage inflatable heavy-duty wheels. I got those knowing I wouldn't have a cart for awhile (finally just got one - was saving up for an Inovativ, which works like a dream). The 14 inch straps on the same stand work better if you are using smaller wheels or no wheels, as the footprint is larger and thus it's harder for the stand to fall over when balancing (especially dynamically balancing). With the 12 inch straps and wheels, I haven't had any issues with needing additional weight on the stand for counterbalance while balancing my sled; that combination is very heavy. Me or my AC would walk my sled across rough terrain for long moves, and those wheels came in handy more than once outside. If you're working mostly inside on smooth floors, go with the smaller wheels and 14 inch straps.

 

To answer your question about mounting the wheels, the mounts come attached to the wheels and slide right on the stand. I got my wheels from Barbizon. Backstage makes them: http://www.backstageweb.com/New%20Products.htm Make sure you let them know which straps 12 in or 14 in) you have on your stand so they can send you the mounts with the correct angle for attaching to the legs of the stand.

 

Happy flying!

 

Lisa

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