Propeller Life Expectancy

[muchuckwagon]

I purchased my first drone, the MA2, a few months ago. I do a quick visual check of the drone for any signs of damage before every take-off. I assume there is a decent amount of strain on the propellers during flight. Other than replacing the propellers when there are obvious signs of wear, is there a rule of thumb that they should be replaced every X hours of flight or after X months of use? Thanks in advance.

 

[tonydeli7]

I searched for this recently. DJI said in the past to replace every three months,but later posts in their forum say every 200 flights...
If there's damage,ok you change it but what if there's nothing?!

 

[itsneedtokno]

I would change it as often as I change the plastic bumper on my car, which is only after an accident.

if all of your propellers are correctly balanced and not causing you any issues, why risk putting on a propeller that's out of balance and having Jello in your videos, among other things.

 

[Greekislandlover]

I inspect my propellers before each flight, and if damaged replace them as I carry spares with me. You can usually tell a prop is damaged by the sound. I don't tend to replace on a schedule, but when there is physical signs of wear, and that's normally after some form of pilot error. Last time I managed to land it too close to my bike and managed to graze the props on the tyres. No - I'm still not sure how that happened!

 

[old man mavic]

there is no real hard and fast service life of a prop ,it all depends on how you fly ,where you fly ,and if the props themselves become damaged
(1) by how you fly ,i mean do you spend a lot of time in sport mode tearing around the sky doing sudden breaking and lots of sudden turns
this will put a lot more strain on the props and will shorten their lifespan
(2) by where you fly , mean do you fly in very dusty conditions ,where there are lots of insects in the air that can damage the leading edge and cause stress cracks over time
(3)prop damage however small can become a major issue if the prop fails during flight ,its much cheaper to change the prop than replace your drone
it is really down to each individual pilot to check their props and replace them if required ,and dont forget its not just the blades themselves that can get damaged in a prop strike ,but the central hub locating lugs can get damaged as can the pivot point where the prop joins the hub so check these as well thats why i always remove my props after flight

 

[BigAl07]

I do a visual and touch inspection of the props before and after each flight. No problems and I don't have any indication there are problems I don't give them a 2nd thought.

I have some props that have several hundred flights on them and they are still doing strong. It's important to note they are stored in the case when not flying which protects them from UV light and "hanger rash".

On the flip side... your props are a Single Failure Point and as such should be replaced at the first HINT of a problem or an incident that could have damaged them (impact, etc). They are way too cheap to risk a mid-flight failure. When in doubt REPLACE THEM!

 

[itsneedtokno]

There's two phrases that come to mind...

But they contradict each other.


"If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

"When in doubt, change em out"


It's up to the pilot I assume

 

[DanMan32]

Particularly for props that need to be screwed in, which right now for DJI, is the MM. With those, you can cross-thread the screws, not have them tight enough, or the lock-tight doesn't hold and screws get loose.

With models having smaller, thinner props, they can warp.

 

[RuudF]

I purchased my first drone, the MA2, a few months ago. I do a quick visual check of the drone for any signs of damage before every take-off. I assume there is a decent amount of strain on the propellers during flight. Other than replacing the propellers when there are obvious signs of wear, is there a rule of thumb that they should be replaced every X hours of flight or after X months of use? Thanks in advance.

Hi,

I always check the props before every flight.

Check 1: are the 3 tabs connecting to the motor intact?
Check 2: is the prop securely locked in place?
Check 3: if you tilt the prop sideways will it still stay straight or does 1 blade droop down, then the metal pin is worn and the prop should be discarded.
Otherwise the prop can still be used.

Good luck

Ruudf

 

[muchuckwagon]

Hi,

I always check the props before every flight.

Check 1: are the 3 tabs connecting to the motor intact?
Check 2: is the prop securely locked in place?
Check 3: if you tilt the prop sideways will it still stay straight or does 1 blade droop down, then the metal pin is worn and the prop should be discarded.
Otherwise the prop can still be used.

Good luck

Ruudf

That makes sense, along with the other advice in the thread. I was just worried that maybe there was common knowledge I was missing that you had to regularly replace the propellers because of something not readily visible like stress fractures. I trying to be responsible. Now that I own a my first drone, I have come to realize that the MA2 is not a toy. The range and speed are impressive but it also means you have to exercise some caution and operate it in a safe manner.

Thanks again to everyone for their input.

 

[Platinum 4 ever]

That makes sense, along with the other advice in the thread. I was just worried that maybe there was common knowledge I was missing that you had to regularly replace the propellers because of something not readily visible like stress fractures. I trying to be responsible. Now that I own a my first drone, I have come to realize that the MA2 is not a toy. The range and speed are impressive but it also means you have to exercise some caution and operate it in a safe manner.

Thanks again to everyone for their input.

You sound like a good level headed guy. Welcome to the forum

 

[hiflyer201]

if you take off from a clean location and hand catch along with taking an educated look while folding and unfolding the legs on the drone I can see no reason to change out a prop. Ding's and tip damage are not acceptable. there is a long arm between the tip and the small hook connector and using the drone as a weed wacker/leaf blower is not good..

 

[6 String Fan]

Hi,

I always check the props before every flight.

Check 1: are the 3 tabs connecting to the motor intact?
Check 2: is the prop securely locked in place?
Check 3: if you tilt the prop sideways will it still stay straight or does 1 blade droop down, then the metal pin is worn and the prop should be discarded.
Otherwise the prop can still be used.

Good luck

Ruudf

Ahhh, yes, pre-flight check....Thanks for the reminder!

 

[ToddCarey]

I always check the props before and after a flight. I think it is also very important to be "situationally aware" of your drone when flying. Any strange or different sounds, or if the unit is acting unsteady, bring it down and go over everything to be sure something is not going south on you.

 

[Thomas B]

Pre and post flight inspections for me... I carry new extras and replace any prop that shows any sign of having hit anything.

 

[LA 2020]

I purchased my first drone, the MA2, a few months ago. I do a quick visual check of the drone for any signs of damage before every take-off. I assume there is a decent amount of strain on the propellers during flight. Other than replacing the propellers when there are obvious signs of wear, is there a rule of thumb that they should be replaced every X hours of flight or after X months of use? Thanks in advance.

I check the edges periodically keep them clean and file the edges if needed

 

[Marko9219]

3 years and never. Inspect every flight. But then, they have NEVER contacted anything while spinning.

 

[itsneedtokno]

I check the edges periodically keep them clean and file the edges if needed

File... Who,whatnow?

 

[Thomas B]

I check the edges periodically keep them clean and file the edges if needed

 

[Heavydpj]

Other than replacing the propellers when there are obvious signs of wear, is there a rule of thumb that they should be replaced every X hours of flight or after X months of use?

As with most others,I do a visual inspection looking for cracks, chips, deformities, or edge damage. If my visual inspection is good, they stay on.