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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Skaterail slider or Dana dolly?

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swan n

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I saw Dana dolly at a store here yesterday and looks sturdy and is very smooth. I'm looking at Skaterail slider online and I'm only hearing good things about it. I have read online that Skaterail slider does work on curved tracks, would Dana Dolly work on curved tracks too? I saw that it's wheels can turn but the representative there couldn't tell for sure. Also, can I directly attach the tripod head to Dava Dolly? (Rep said I need to use the ball). I'm looking at carrying either of the ones I buy with me overseas for a shoot. Please suggest which one I should pick. Couple hundred dollar difference will not be a deciding factor.
 
Dana Dolly, hands down. The Skaterail is basically a lighter-weight take on the Dana Dolly, but the Dana has a great weight and just the right amount of resistance to it. Honestly you'd have to go pretty light on a Scarlet/EPIC build to have it work well on the Skaterail. The Dana Dolly is an incredible value and I'm REALLY happy with mine.

Yes, you need to use a ball-mount tripod head. This is so you can level the head etc. You can get 150, 100 or 75mm ball mounts for the Dana Dolly. They're just basically adapter rings that sit in a grooved hole in the main plate of the unit. Really solid construction, great quality wheels and bearings and a nice unit overall. Hopefully not sounding like too much of a fanboy, I'll just say again that I am really content with my Dana Dolly. It was a great investment.

383460_534594877437_1915759653_n.jpg
 
I just bought the Dana Dolly a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't be happier. Very smooth, and easy to travel with. I highly recommend it!
 
Trevor Meeks said:
Dana Dolly, hands down. The Skaterail is basically a lighter-weight take on the Dana Dolly, but the Dana has a great weight and just the right amount of resistance to it. Honestly you'd have to go pretty light on a Scarlet/EPIC build to have it work well on the Skaterail. The Dana Dolly is an incredible value and I'm REALLY happy with mine.

Yes, you need to use a ball-mount tripod head. This is so you can level the head etc. You can get 150, 100 or 75mm ball mounts for the Dana Dolly. They're just basically adapter rings that sit in a grooved hole in the main plate of the unit. Really solid construction, great quality wheels and bearings and a nice unit overall. Hopefully not sounding like too much of a fanboy, I'll just say again that I am really content with my Dana Dolly. It was a great investment.

+1 On the Dana Dolly. I've known Mike Hall for about 15 years. He truly is a gaffer and key grip, one of the best in the biz. He knows his stuff, no doubt. This is NOT a "new" product that popped up overnight... Rather we've used "versions" of this dolly for YEARS with awesome success... Mike would always bring it on shoots. Then he finally decided to start building AND selling them! I have several pieces of pipe cut to 3' lengths... get the "track connectors" from Modern Grip ($17 each!) and you can travel quite easily with the rails in a tripod tube. I have a 12' set up and it's great. Remember to drill the holes BEFORE you cut the track so it all lines up... trust me, you'll see what I'm talking about.

I don't think the DD would have any trouble on curved track, what so ever...

I've traveled the world with both the Dana Dolly and the Micro Dolly... Both are great with different applications... the Dana can be used on low boy combos with wheels... then you just push the whole rig around all day long. It can go quite low... the ground, or fairly high on stands. Really simple. Micro Dolly has longer track. It's lighter too. Works best on flat surfaces. I don't have their "ladder dolly kit,." So I've not had much success on uneven terrain. Since getting my DD... the Micro isn't used as much... jus' sayin... DD is great with uneven terrain too!

I will say... I do have the MYT Slider in my sights... but that's an entirely DIFFERENT and HIGHER price range.

Go with Dana Dolly... you won't regret it... worth every penny! I've recommended it to about a dozen friends and they all love me for it. Plus it's made right here in Arizona! AND... again Mike's a GOOD guy... if you have any issues, which I doubt you will... he's straight up and will take care of you!
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I rented the Dana Dolly once and bought it before my following shoot. I've used it on almost every shoot since. Its really an amazing tool for the price. Not to mention you aren't really limited to rail length and you can buy speed rail anywhere. Not sure if you saw the skate-rail flex in their video... watch at 0:51 when he takes it off the track. Anyways, I would recommend the dana dolly, I love it. Good luck!
-Ryan
 
Is there a weight limit on the dolly?

Trevor Meeks said:
Dana Dolly, hands down. The Skaterail is basically a lighter-weight take on the Dana Dolly, but the Dana has a great weight and just the right amount of resistance to it. Honestly you'd have to go pretty light on a Scarlet/EPIC build to have it work well on the Skaterail. The Dana Dolly is an incredible value and I'm REALLY happy with mine.

Yes, you need to use a ball-mount tripod head. This is so you can level the head etc. You can get 150, 100 or 75mm ball mounts for the Dana Dolly. They're just basically adapter rings that sit in a grooved hole in the main plate of the unit. Really solid construction, great quality wheels and bearings and a nice unit overall. Hopefully not sounding like too much of a fanboy, I'll just say again that I am really content with my Dana Dolly. It was a great investment.

383460_534594877437_1915759653_n.jpg
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100.lbs on the platform. There is an additional support bracket that you will need (dependant on camera weight) every 5-6 feet in track length.
 
Can the plate on the Dana Dolly be mounted upside down to undersling the camera?
 
Naim Sutherland said:
Can the plate on the Dana Dolly be mounted upside down to undersling the camera?
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If you're using a mitchell head, you'd have to flip the wheels to the opposite side, then the keyway for the mitchell head will be underneath, thus enabling one to mount say a 2575 underslung on the dana. May also work this way for other heads with 150mm/100mm/75mm balls. I have one if you're looking to rent one or just check it out ;)

PM me if you have any more questions.
 
Nope, but you might be able to rig the head to be attached on the bottom of the plate. You may run into some interference with the wheels as the spacing is just over 6" from wheel to wheel.
 
Naim Sutherland said:
Can the plate on the Dana Dolly be mounted upside down to undersling the camera?
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From what I remember you just mount the head underneath the dolly, and it hangs down between the tracks. The unit itself always rides on top of the tracks, obviously.
 
Will Keir said:
Is there a weight limit on the dolly?
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Adam Beck said:
100.lbs on the platform.
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Yep. This thing is BEEFY, Will. It's way heavier duty than you'd expect, yet still built to be lightweight. I bet you could go over 100lbs on the thing, but it would probably get harder to roll due to the wheels being "squashed" under the weight or something. But yeah... I doubt under any normal circumstances that you will be putting anything near that on the Dana. It's great to know that it will support pretty much any camera setup though.
 
looks nice... I have an MYT works slider.. Looks to me though that since the skater rests on top of the rails, there is nothing that will prevent the unit from tipping over if youre too heavy on a side
 
not a question of set up,,, if i have 70k worth of gear on the slider, i want to be dams sure it can not be knocked over.... Also, not sure how the dana does when performing a compound pan and track.. To perform smoothly, the pan drag needs to be tight and that in turn puts lateral pressure on the slider and can cause slippage
 
Dana dolly is great tool, they also now have adjustable track ends that will allow for different size track, more money but worth it in the end, then you aren't locked down to one size track.


worth every penny.
 
Love my Dana Dolly. Super fast to setup and have taken in lengths longer than 10ft! Can hold a ton of weight too.
 
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