How Much Weight Can A Drone Lift?

Drones nowadays are used for a variety of purposes and have different capacities to carry a variety of weight and items. If you are specifically interested in how much weight a recreational drone can carry then that will be a much different number than the weight that a military drone can lift. 

Since the type of drone makes such a huge difference in how much weight that it can carry we will give some general ranges in this article as well as give you some specific amounts that specific drones are able to carry. 

Most recreational drones will be able to carry between 1-3 pounds before causing issues with engine overheating or not being able to take off. Many commercial style drones can carry up to 40lbs while military drones can lift hundreds of pounds! 

As you can see the weight ranges a lot based on the type of drone and how large they are. 

The amount of weight that a drone can carry ranges from nothing (in the case of micro drones) to hundreds of pounds (for military drones). Drones can not only carry cinema-quality professional cameras but commercial drones can also carry packages and other heavy equipment and objects. 

Many factors influence the ability of a drone to carry weight. This weight that drones can carry is also known as the payload. Some of those factors are explained below.

If you want to see how much weight a recreational drone can simply lift (but not carry for a period of time) check out this video test below. 

Factors which affect the weight carrying capacity of a drone

Some of the most important factors which affect the weight carrying capacity of a drone include its motor power, the size and the different number of propellers it has, the type of battery it is carrying, and the total weight of the drone. All these are very important factors which influence the ability of a drone to carry a certain amount of payload or weight.

The weather and factors such as the wind, air pressure, and humidity levels also influence the ability of a drone to carry weight.

All of these factors each play an important part in determining how much extra weight that your drone can carry. Most recreational drones are designed to only carry the weight of the drone and its attachments plus a slight amount more (a pound or two at most). Anything more than that and you will likely not even be able to leave the ground. 

They could certainly make recreational drones with a higher payload capacity but since drones are mainly used for fun as well as photography there really isn’t a need to increase the amount of weight that it can carry. 

Uses of a weight lifting drone

A weight lifting drone is a special type of drone that can be used to accomplish various types of work and they are widely used for a variety of professional uses. They are needed for aerial photography, surveillance, agricultural use, traffic control, fishing, fire control, etc. They can also be used for pest control by farmers and even to fight the spread of fire by firefighters. 

Weight lifting drones can be used to spray over crops with fertilizers and also be used in fishing or surveying a specific landscape. 

The typical weight lifting drone can be used widely for a variety of different purposes depending on its features and functionalities. Each weight lifting drone can still only carry certain and varying amounts of payload making them only work for certain types of jobs. Just like not everyone who uses a weight lifting drone has a specific purpose in mind to use it, likewise not every drone is made for the same purpose but they can be used for similar types of work.

5 different weight lifting drones

Below we will discuss five specific drone models that are designed to carry additional weight. Because of the increase in size of the drones as well as the motors these drones will normally be much more expensive than traditional recreational drones. 

DJI Agras MG-1

The DJI Agras MG-1 (found here) is a special weight lifting drone that can carry up to 22lbs  of payload. It is widely used by some farmers for agricultural use. It can carry pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals that you might need to spray over your crops. It can cover a crop area of 1 to 1 ½ acres to spray fertilizer within 10 minutes. It is known widely for its efficiency to those who have used it for agricultural purposes.

FREEFLY ALTA 8

The Freefly Systems ALTA 8  (found here) is a flying monster, it can carry up to 40lbs of payload. It can be used for professional quality film making and carry any gear or heavy object from point A to point B very easily. One of its amazing features is that it can be folded to 50% of its original operating size, making it very easy to carry long distances. 

It comes with Skyview technology which allows for smooth and precise movement control of the camera using the latest GPS technology and other onboard sensors. Freefly Systems ALTA 8 is a great drone that has many uses.

Yuneec Tornado H920

The Yuneec Tornado H920 (found here) is the perfect drone for aerial photography and can stay in flight for about 25 minutes. Yuneec Tornado H920 comes with a failsafe auto return to home and auto takeoff and auto landing which is ideal for avoiding unwanted crashes or accidents. It can carry a payload of 4-5lbs which is obviously much less than the drones above but it is also much less expensive. 

DJI MATRICE 600

The DJI Matrice 600 (found here) is a powerful and innovative heavy lifting drone. It can carry a payload of up to 18lbs  over a distance of 3 miles in about 16 minutes. It has a modular design which makes it very easy to assemble and it also comes packed with some essential and innovative features. Two such features are its dust-proof propulsion system and actively cooled motors both of which allow it to fly easily even in difficult weather conditions.

DJI MATRICE 100

The DJI Matrice 100 (found here)  is a powerful drone that is widely used for research or commercial purposes. It is very stable in the air and can carry a payload of up to 9lbs over a distance of 3 miles. It can stay up in the air for about 40 minutes as well. The DJI Matrice 100 can carry any type of sensor, camera equipment or other heavy objects and is also well known to be used for recreational activities.

Conclusion

The above 5 different weight lifting drones are widely used for a variety of purposes and are well known to be very efficient.  Whichever drone you may choose from the above 5 different drones rest assured that you have chosen one of the best weight lifting drones you can find today available for purchase on the market.

We have to remember that each drone is unique and has been built for different purposes so they have different capacities for carrying payloads. Drones can only go a certain amount of distance and at certain levels of speed and each drone is only capable of staying in flight for a certain amount of specified time. 

All these things tell us that each weight lifting drone is only perfect for certain types of work because they all have different features and functionalities. Whatever purpose you might have in mind for buying or using your drone, be certain that you are buying or using the right drone for the particular type of work that needs to be completed.