Leica Geosystems offers a range of tripods to suit all instruments.

In order to achieve the instrument specified accuracy it is vital that the correct tripod is used. The construction and weight of the tripod have a major influence on providing a stable platform for the instrument.

Wood

• Advantage: Of all materials, wood is the most stable and less susceptible to expansion when exposed to the warming effects of the sun. Wooden tripods also have excellent vibration damping characteristics.
• Disadvantage: Wood is porous and absorbs water which causes it to deform. It is therefore vital that the wood be completely sealed.
• Leica Geosystems tripods: The GST20 range of tripods are sealed with several layers of oil and paint and the GST05 is covered with a water-tight plastic wrap for complete protection.

Aluminium

• Advantage: Aluminium is completely resistant to conditions of high humidity. Aluminium tripods are also light-weight, providing convenience when setups are often changed.
• Disadvantage: Being a metal, aluminium expands and contracts through temperature changes. To maintain accuracy these tripods should therefore only be used for setups of short duration.
• Leica Geosystems tripods: The GST05L and CTP103 aluminium tripods are resistant to the elements and provide for long life in all environmental conditions.

Fibreglass

• Advantage: Fibreglass is resistant to the elements and provides a long lasting tripod.
• Disadvantage: Fibreglass is a fibre reinforced plastic. As a tripod, this material remains flexible and deforms over the setup time.
• Leica Geosystems tripods: Leica Geosystems chooses not to use fibreglass for surveying tripods. We do not consider them suitable to achieve reliable measurements with our modern motorized instruments.

The stability of tripods is primarly defined by their vertical movement and horizontal drift over time. The effect of different tripod materials can be clearly seen in the graphs. In both cases, the wooden tripods remain the most stable over the set-up time.