Mavic 2 - Hitch Receiver

thestonesteels · Jan 31, 2020

Hello.

(to the point question) Is there any product out there that can be hooked up to a 2" hitch receiver and/or a Mavic holder mounted on to a hitch mount?

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I've been scouring ebay and the closest thing I've done is use the handheld mavic holder. I can drill on to a hitch mount but it still looks sketchy. The idea I've wanted to try is to have the Mavic mounted low behind my Crosstrek to track rolling vids for motorcycles.

For those not aware... I learned that the gimbal on the Mavic 2 can now move left or right independently by press, hold and drag left or right on the screen

I want to try out different ideas such as dolly zoom or zoom in out ETC but before I do, i just want to make sure my financial investment is perfectly secure. The fear is not only from falling on the freeway running 80mph but even mounting incorrecty/inefficiently might cause damage as well.

THANKS in advance!!!

Thomas B · Jan 31, 2020

Don’t spend too much.., I anticipate the vibration of the vehicle will overcome gimbal damping making vid/photos unusable.... because it will be vibration not gradual movement.
We’ll see what you get.

bumper · Jan 31, 2020

Another potential problem is the amount of dust and dirt the drone will be subject to in the vacuum and turbulence of the vehicle wake. The CPU cooling fan is gonna suck in a fair amount I'd think. As to the vibration issue, I'm not sure one way or another, but to find out, you might secure the drone to a roof luggage rack. Or, you might know someone with a 2" receiver hitch bike rack - you could kludge a temporary mount to that for proof of concept.

Magilla Gorilla · Jan 31, 2020

I think I would mount a Go Pro back there.
Keep the Mavic for flying. Sounds like a harsh environment.

thestonesteels · Feb 1, 2020

Hi guys. Dust and debris is not an issue. My crosstrek's tow hook has a gopro mount. I've done GoPro shots. Here's two upsides as to why I want to try it out.

1. Mavic can zoom.
2. Mavic can track.
3. Mavic can pan left/right.

The drone will be leveled at a height where the trunk of the car will be protecting it. Not too low where debris can damage. The bigger concern I have might be the vibration that might damage the drone if there's no physical buffer. Another challenge to simply putting a soft physical buffer however might be overheating Mavic's underbelly.

So.....

Amidst the hundreds of products they have on the market. There's currently no Mavic mount to a hitch receiver?

AMann · Feb 1, 2020

Maybe get an Osmo and a cheap pan tilt unit?

Flycaster · Feb 5, 2020

thestonesteels said:
Hi guys. Dust and debris is not an issue. My crosstrek's tow hook has a gopro mount. I've done GoPro shots. Here's two upsides as to why I want to try it out.

1. Mavic can zoom.
2. Mavic can track.
3. Mavic can pan left/right.

The drone will be leveled at a height where the trunk of the car will be protecting it. Not too low where debris can damage. The bigger concern I have might be the vibration that might damage the drone if there's no physical buffer. Another challenge to simply putting a soft physical buffer however might be overheating Mavic's underbelly.

So.....

Amidst the hundreds of products they have on the market. There's currently no Mavic mount to a hitch receiver?

I don't think this idea has come up in the third party market.
There is a "holder" out there that is designed to turn the Mavic into a steady cam type unit, forget the name. It's just a holder with the Mavic straped onto it with a handle on the top.

You'll probably have to make up an adapter to hold the whole thing. Maybe get that Mavac holder, and sketch up the adapter to hold the bird to the receiver hitch, and then you could have a buddy or the Library, and 3D print the adapter...

Nothing "store bought"/drop in, I believe....