3dr solo gimbal issue

[Tony yeareg]

My buddy just came home from Texas and we were flying. He noticed this issue in which his gimbal is bent. He did not crash it and kept it in back pack. As you can see it looks like it is bent. It is not straight like mine and does not shoot straight. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[RichWest]

Curious, was the gimbal factory or user installed?

 

[Tony yeareg]

I believe he bought it factory installed as he got it in the package. He never used to have the problem, I compared it to mine and it is bent a good 30 degrees.

 

[RichWest]

I think its obvious from the photos it is bent, three pictures head on. Anyway, it's unlikely he received it that way and it's very unlikely that it bent on its own. The gimbal is built like a tank.

So are you wanting to straighten it out or are you trying to figure out why it happened?

I'm fairly certain 3DR would not warranty, but you never know. At this point you got nothing to lose in attempting to straighten. I'm sure there is thread here that describes an effort for same. The gimbal arm is fairly strong, not sure of the actual material. I'd venture to bet you'd have one shot at straightening it out, otherwise the material would fatigue from the repeated bending.

Alternatively, he buys a new gimbal and back to happy flying.

 

[13nikos62]

I think its obvious from the photos it is bent, three pictures head on. Anyway, it's unlikely he received it that way and it's very unlikely that it bent on its own. The gimbal is built like a tank.

So are you wanting to straighten it out or are you trying to figure out why it happened?

I'm fairly certain 3DR would not warranty, but you never know. At this point you got nothing to lose in attempting to straighten. I'm sure there is thread here that describes an effort for same. The gimbal arm is fairly strong, not sure of the actual material. I'd venture to bet you'd have one shot at straightening it out, otherwise the material would fatigue from the repeated bending.

Alternatively, he buys a new gimbal and back to happy flying.

My gimbal bent after I crashed my solo. It was easy to straighten using a pair of pliers or multi-grips. Works perfectly now.

 

[RichWest]

My gimbal bent after I crashed my solo. It was easy to straighten using a pair of pliers or multi-grips. Works perfectly now.

Maybe you can give Tony a hand in resolving his dilemma...thanks for stepping in...

 

[13nikos62]

Maybe you can give Tony a hand in resolving his dilemma...thanks for stepping in...

Tony,
Place a pair of pliers or multi grips at the gimbal's pivot shaft as marked in the image. Now with a second pair of grips, carefully bend the main shaft back to its neutral position. It can take some effort to do so as the shaft quite robust. Make sure you have a firm grip with both pliers. BTW, I used a small towel over both contact points so as not to mark or scratch the surfaces. It's as simple as that.

Photo borrowed from Zulusol:

Edit to add: There is a possibility that this may not go according to plan, i.e. potentially snapping the shaft. A few other members have performed this procedure as I have and without consequence. If by any chance it causes more damage, warranty will most likely be voided, so if you decide to have a go, it will be at your own risk.