How To Add Weight To Work Light Base?

The following is a picture of the tripod base of a dual head work light. If you look carefully, you'll notice that the center pole does not match the base. That's because I modified the base to hold an adjustable metal pole so that I can get extra height from the light. The problem is that the work light is now relatively unstable due to being top heavy.

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I'm looking for ideas to add weight to base. The legs of the tripod are hollow. I've considered pouring concrete into the tubes but I'm not sure it would be enough weight. I also considered inserting a solid steel rod but there is an obstruction - the rivet for the flat support bars which extends straight through the tube. To insert a rod I'd have drill out the rivet, insert the steel bar and then drill through the rod in order to reattached the support rods. Doable, but more work than I want to put into it if there's an easier solution.

Which would weigh more - three 7/8" x 12" 'tubes' of concrete or three 7/8" x 12" steel rods or something else?

Reply to
DerbyDad03
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Some cut.

Would it be practical to fasten a barbell or dumbbell weight to the base in the center?

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

How often do you move this device? Does the weight have to fold up conveniently?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

When I was a photographer I used sand bags...add whatever weight you need.

No idea but if you want tubes of something use lead shot and epoxy.

Reply to
dadiOH

When I was a photographer I used sand bags...add whatever weight you need.

No idea but if you want tubes of something use lead shot and epoxy.

Reply to
dadiOH

Could an old cast iron (or plastic) barbell weight, or maybe even an old automotive flywheel just be slipped over the mast and allowed to rest on top of the tripod apex? Wouldn't be pretty, but would probably work great.

Erik

Reply to
Erik

Lead shot and epoxy sounds like a good solution. You can fill each of the legs from the top and the bottom, don't have to worry about the rivets in the middle of each leg.

Reply to
hrhofmann

Purchase fast. Obama just closed the last smelter, and the price is sure to go up any time soon.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Possible, but cumbersome. I still want to be able to fold up the base easily. A dumbbell weight would prevent that or at a minimum make it inconvenient.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Thanks, but I'm looking for a integral solution. No extra parts to carry, store, move.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

That's a possibility. I'll look into it.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Extremely often.

Yes.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Can't do it without making the legs longer.

Reply to
Vic Smith

How about three sandbags, laid over the horizontal parts of the base, or even maybe the sloping parts.

That way the base won't be permanently heavy, if you want to carry it somewhere that the added weight isn't needed.

And if there's a flood, you'll be 3 bags ahead of the game. Plus other uses.

I don't think you can buy sandbags in most places, but you can buy the bags and fill them with sand.

Reply to
micky

You seem to have missed my response the last time sandbags were suggested.

"Thanks, but I'm looking for a integral solution. No extra parts to carry, store, move."

Besides, I live on top of a hill overlooking a bay. If a flood ever reached my house, we'd all be in more trouble than sandbags could possibly deal with. We'd be talking an Armageddon-like situation.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I read that and it's going to be tried. I was merely replying to micky's sand bag suggestion, which came very late and had already been suggested, more than once.

BTW...the light fell over again tonight. It doesn't take much of bump for it to start to topple. Unfortunately my hands were otherwise occupied and I couldn't catch it.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

An alternative to adding weight is to increase the span of the legs. Can't tell the diameter of what you have but perhaps they lend themselve to having pipe/tubing sliped over them? Wouldn't have to be a perfect fit, a couple of pins at 90 degrees to each other would stifle any wobble.

Reply to
dadiOH

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