Balloon light tripod: five heights, one load rating each
The tripod decides the coverage and the wind rating. Five sizes from 2.0 m to 4.8 m, rated from 20 kg to 80 kg, with folding legs and a manual lift.
Specification
What the sheet states for this build, and what is confirmed per order.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| 2.0 m tripod | 20 kg rated load, floodlight pairs and small balloons |
| 2.8 m tripod | 20 kg rated load, 320 to 500 W class heads |
| 3.8 m tripod | 80 kg rated load, heavy heads |
| 4.0 m tripod | 80 kg rated load, heavy heads, wider base |
| 4.8 m tripod | 40 kg rated load, the largest balloon heads |
| Mast | Steel or aluminium, telescopic, manual lift |
| Legs | Folding, with a lower air cushion on the larger masts |
| Feet | Rubber, replaceable |
| Setup | One person on the 2.0 and 2.8 m sizes |
| Spares | Feet, locking pins, carry bag |
Height is measured with the mast extended and no lamp fitted. The lamp adds its own height and its own weight at the top of the mast, which is where the load rating matters.
Height against coverage
A lamp at 2.8 m lights a working area; the same lamp at 4.8 m lights a much larger one, because the light travels further before it reaches the ground. The cost is intensity: the same output spread over a bigger circle is dimmer at any one point.
For most site work the useful range is 2.8 to 4.0 m. The 4.8 m mast is for events and large compounds where the area matters more than the level.
- The height needed to clear vehicles, plant and people.
- The lux the task needs at ground level, which falls as the mast goes up.
- The wind exposure of the site, because a taller mast carries more turning force at the top.
Load, wind and ballast
The rated load is a static figure. Wind turns the balloon into a sail and adds a moment at the top of the mast that the legs have to resist, so a tripod used at its load limit on an exposed site needs ballast or a guy line.
Steel legs are stiffer; aluminium is lighter to carry. On a site where the tripod moves every day, the lighter one gets used. On a site where it stands for a week, the stiffer one is safer.
What to keep with the tripod
A spare set of feet, because rubber feet wear through on rough ground, and the locking pins for the leg hinges, which are the part that goes missing.
A carry bag for the mast. A 4.8 m tripod transported loose in a van loses its locking collar within a month.
Before the order
- Load: the static rating, before wind and ballast.
- Height: without the lamp fitted, so add the head for the working height.
- Spares: feet, pins and a bag, all cheap at the order.
- Build
- Tripods
- Line
- Accessories
- Ask for
- Specification sheet, photometric file, packing list
Send the site, get the sheet.
Build, specification sheet and the option list for each line item, in one reply.