JIMMY JIB
REFURBS
Constant rigging, derigging, rain, snow, mud and not to mention hitting the lighting grid (yep we've all done it) all have an impact. We set out to smarten up the jib world, one jib at a time with a full service refurb. This means new powder coat, bearings, modifications, machining work, you name it, we can do it all. Below are the services we offer.
Jimmy jibs get a tough time out in the field.
POWDERCOAT SERVICES
We've developed a fine textured matt black powdercoat that will make your jib look like new again. It's durable and has very low light reflectance. The old flaky paint is chemically stripped (not media blasted) and the jib tubes visually inspected. Dinks, dents and damage are assessed and repaired where possible. A nice thick coat of powder is then applied in a really cool electrostatic process and the whole thing is then baked at 180deg c. The jib tubes are reassmebled with nice new high tensile bolts. Fulcrum and nose sections always get new standard size bearings.
FULCRUM & NOSE PIVOTS
All Jimmy jibs suffer a few design faults. One is premature wear to the main fulcrum and nose pivot pins. This is because the pins are aluminium and the bearings are stainless steel. The result is excess movement in the fulcrum and nose as the bearings dig through the aluminium. We have replaced over 40 of these pins with a custom design made from 316 Stainless Steel. Super tough, super durable, fit and forget. Often installed with a full refurb. Also available is the BadBoy bearing upgrade...
BAD BOY BEARING UPGRADE
The nose and fulcrum are fitted with weedy little 1/2" bearings. That means a built jib could be loading those little things with 300kg +. This quickly causes wear to the aluminium pivot pins (see above). Even worse when rusted and siezed. Solution, upgrade to the stainless pivot pin and the ultimate is to combine that with a 1" bearing upgrade. This spreads the load over a much bigger area. Ideally done before powdercoat as a bit of surgery is required first.
PAN PLATE UPGRADE
Another wear problem is in the pan plate assembly. A steel thrust bearing runs between two soft aluminium plates. Under constant load the soft surfaces get badly chewed up, a furrow is dug and eventually it seizes. This potentially means no more pan...
To fix it we very carefully machine your original pan assembly to accept Japanese blade steel thrust plates for a shiny new bearing to run on. Wear is eliminated and you'll be a smooth operator once more.
STRUT BOLT REINFORCING DISC
Jimmy Jibs over 9 feet reach use a strut cable to support the arm. It attaches to an eyebolt which is fitted to the tail and front sections of a jib. These holes wear badly in the soft aluminium of a jib tube. To fix it we manufacture 5mm thick 316 Stainless steel, (strong and rust free) reinforcing discs to stop the wear and spread the load. They are powdercoated to match you jib. Ideally fitted during powedercoat work to the tail, nose and section 5 of your jib.
JIB CASE WHEEL KIT
Let's face it the original case wheels are rubbish. We got so fed up with them that we designed our own. A popular upgrade, they are made from rust proof 304 stainless steel and run ball raced wheels which are replaceable. The cases now speed along with ease.
Two versions are available, 68mm dia wheel and 75mm dia wheel. Both are great and fit within the case recess, bigger wheels roll better on rough road. Now upgraded to black wheels.
OTHER MODS AND ENGINEERING
We're bristling with ideas for new mods. In the pipe line we have a steering upgrade for the 4 wheel base, there's a heavy duty iris servo, pan/tilt servo safety pins, monitor shelf, weight bar plug. We can also fix broken stuff like stripped UNC threads, aluminium welding, steel welding, wire rope for struts and pulleys. The list goes on. Get in touch and tell us your problems.
JOYSTICK THUMB PADS
Replacement jib joystick thumb pads. Beautifully turned on a CNC lathe from Delrin, an engineering grade polymer. Super tough, smooth exterior, textured interior and a perfect fit to your existing short joystick topper. These are easy things to loose so why not buy a few spares to keep in your kit box. As an operator with podgy thumbs this is my preferred joystick topper. Profiled to fit and grip your digit to avoid slipping off shot. These fit all JJ joystick units and press over your existing knurled stick top (pictured). Available now.