Exceeding Phantom's Recommended Takeoff Weight

Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
58
Reaction score
1
Hello,

Thought it would be interesting to find out if anyone is flying their phantom over the maximum recommended takeoff weight of 1000g? The Phantom has 200g to work with for payload and I would like to purchase a decent gimbal + Fatshark FPV to use with my Hero 3, but the max takeoff weight limit would easily be exceeded so I wanted to see if anyone was flying over the weight limit and by how much? I can see there being reduced performance and flight time, but any problems with the shell, motors, etc? Thanks. :)

-Y
 
My Phantom is weighing in at 1.258 kg, that's 2. 3/4 lbs.
I am using upgraded motors, 9" CF props, etc.
I raised the gains across the board, like it was a heavier FW550, and it seems to work well.

The battery run times are quite low, but that's to be expected.

I think if you fly aggressively, it certainly will stress the plastic shell. Especially where the motor mounts are. If you use
carbon fiber props, and upgraded motors, you are most likely compounding the problem.

I know these things, because most of the motor mounts in my Phantom are split. The shell is developing tiny stress fractures
in the motor mount area as well. Only on the # 2 motor though.

Am I concerned ? :lol: If you bought an R/C anything, and didn't expect to be working on it all the time, you were mistaken.

It would be nice if they made the shell out of Kydex, something stiffer and more durable though.
 
As you increase weight you should also use a battery with a little more punch. A 35c battery can discharge quicker than the 20c phantom battery for better response, but less flight time. That's the main reason I went with the hyperion 2600mAh 35c battery. With the increased "mAh" and "c" rating I hope the flight time increases somewhat over the stock battery. The F330 has the same motors, props, and ESC's as the Phantom, but it's max weight is 1200 grams. If the Phantom shell can take the stress I don't see why it can't fly well at 1200 grams.
 
Thanks guys for your input:

Audaciter said:
My Phantom is weighing in at 1.258 kg, that's 2. 3/4 lbs.
I am using upgraded motors, 9" CF props, etc.
I raised the gains across the board, like it was a heavier FW550, and it seems to work well.

The battery run times are quite low, but that's to be expected.

I think if you fly aggressively, it certainly will stress the plastic shell. Especially where the motor mounts are. If you use
carbon fiber props, and upgraded motors, you are most likely compounding the problem.

I know these things, because most of the motor mounts in my Phantom are split. The shell is developing tiny stress fractures
in the motor mount area as well. Only on the # 2 motor though.

Am I concerned ? :lol: If you bought an R/C anything, and didn't expect to be working on it all the time, you were mistaken.

It would be nice if they made the shell out of Kydex, something stiffer and more durable though.

Thanks, Audaciter. Will look at new motors after I fly some more, although, like you, I am worried about the mounts and wish someone would release something stronger like carbon fiber or something else to help. I guess if I outgrow the Phantom shell I'll move to another frame. I agree that we get into this hobby with risks so am willing to accept the risks. :)

BadWolf said:
As you increase weight you should also use a battery with a little more punch. A 35c battery can discharge quicker than the 20c phantom battery for better response, but less flight time. That's the main reason I went with the hyperion 2600mAh 35c battery. With the increased "mAh" and "c" rating I hope the flight time increases somewhat over the stock battery. The F330 has the same motors, props, and ESC's as the Phantom, but it's max weight is 1200 grams. If the Phantom shell can take the stress I don't see why it can't fly well at 1200 grams.

Thanks, BadWolf. Will look into different batteries (thanks for the recommendation). Seems like the F330 frame might be a little more durable if my Phantom shell ever breaks down. The F330 frame is cheap too! Hope it fits the new DJI Hero gimbal! :)

Thanks a bunch guys! I love this forum. Lots of great ideas and feedback. :)
 

Recent Posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
143,066
Messages
1,467,352
Members
104,933
Latest member
mactechnic