A quick email to the people at Manfrotto spares to check whether that was indeed the case (and at £44 + VAT I was rather hoping it wasn't) revealed that not only was it going to cost me less than £4 but was also given advice on how to go about fixing it. 7 Mounts: Berlebach Planet w/ 410mm pier, Celestron AS-GT, Celestron CG-5 w/ Argo Navis & tracking motor. My initial thought was to soak it in WD40, which had no effect, my second was to tap it with something heavy to try and free it which was equally as ineffective and I began to think a whole new top plate was going to be in order. Download 250 Meade Telescope PDF manuals. Seems the rain and shine part might have been the problem.

This pin sits inside a hole in the top plate and over time as moisture seeps in these have a habit of corroding and as there isn't much clearance between the pin and the hole this causes it to get stuck. Like most Manfrotto tripod heads, the 410 Junior Geared Head (to give it it's full title) has a sprung brass pin that triggers the arm to close and llock the quick release plate (and camera) in place. At 109 mm in height, it is shorter than the 130 mm of the 410jr.

Through rain and shine, frequent bouts of frantic knob twirling and regularly being unceremoniously lobbed into the car, my trusty Manfrotto geared head has always performed flawlessly. Camera Arms & Stands for Photography Manfrotto & Benro Tripods.

Manfrotto 410 manual