Routine maintenance is a necessary evil regardless of what aspect of the hobby you're into. While most of the time maintenance is associated with nitro motors or simply cleaning the chassis on an electric model, electric motors need routine maintenance as well. Most owners replace the factory-stock motor with a rebuildable 27-turn stock or modified motor, which provides the capability of disassembling the motor to clean and maintain it.

The problem with electric motor maintenance is the number of small parts that must be reassembled correctly so that the motor can be returned to like-new performance. With many motors having different brushes and springs for both the positive and negative sides of the motor can, it can get very complicated. Then once you factor in the armature washers, screws, and other small parts, you'll start to add to the complexity. Even a long-time hobbyist can get confused as to what spring, brush, or washer went in a particular location.

To remedy this, Acratech has developed an aluminum motor tray to help hold all the various parts of an electric motor during maintenance procedures such as this. The tray itself is laid out well and looks to be just the thing for those who perform frequent electric RC motor maintenance. There's a area to hold about anything you'll come across on a motor, and in many cases the halves of the can they reside on are designated as well.

It doesn't matter whether you're just cleaning the motor or cutting the comm, the Acratech motor tray looks to be a good way to help keep your motor parts organized and within easy reach. I'm looking forward to spending some time with the Acratech tray to see how much more organized it can make me, as this is one area of the hobby I could certainly use some assistance with.

The Acratech motor tray gave me a perfect excuse to dig up a couple of my electric motors that needed some attention. I usually try to keep a fresh cut on all my motor comms, but I had gotten a little lazy recently, which isn't a good thing when we're talking about hand wound Trinity P-94's. So I pulled one out and started to disassemble it.

Right away it became very obvious how well the tray was going to work, as the first thing I removed was the motor's pinion gear. It was then dropped into place on a stainless steel shaft which held it out of my way. Following that, I removed the brush springs from the end bell and dropped them onto the posts designated for them on the tray. Even though with this motor, the springs were the same, the two spring areas are easily identified by their markings on the tray. Since I planned to alter the springs upon reassembly, this handy detail on the part of Acratech would come in very handy later.

The next task was to unsolder the brushes, which I did. Once they were separated from the can, I dropped them into their respective places. I then started to tear into the motor can, and starting removing parts. Each part had its own spot on the tray. From the end bell screws to the can washers, I placed each part in a spot where it could be easily identified for the reassembly process. Even the larger parts, such as the can and armature, had a place of their own.

You may notice that the posts for the washers don't allow them to fall all the way to the tray itself. This is by design, and makes it much easier to pull the washer up than it would be if it was flush against the base of the tray. The areas for the screws, and miscellaneous parts, have a magnetic bottom which keeps these smaller items from rolling around on the tray when it is being moved.

With the motor disassembled, I cut the comm. and inspected the brushes and springs. I cleaned the inside of the motor can, and the rest of the parts. After each part was cleaned or serviced, I placed it back onto the tray to keep everything well organized.

Once the maintenance was complete, I started the reassembly process which went very smoothly. I'll go so far as to say it even went faster than normal, since I didn't have to hunt for a washer or spring that had gotten pushed aside, or under something, which often results in the next few minutes being spent in frustration trying to figure out what happened to that particular part. The process, and organization, held up just the same with the other motors I serviced as well.

The motor tray itself is a perfect size for dropping into most pit boxes, making it very easy to carry with you in the field. Also, with the tray itself being made from 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum, you can rest assured it's built solid. The Acratech tray is also offered in two colors, in case that's a concern to you. While I used the blue version, they also offer the tray in purple as well. Both versions offer the exact same organizational features as they are the exact same aside from the color. I'd love to see more colors offered.

The Acratech motor tray has proved itself to be very useful while maintaining my electric motors. Sometimes I would try to start out somewhat organized, but motor maintenance is one area that had always seems to get a little haphazard halfway through. Other times I started by just tearing into a motor and performed the necessary maintenance, which would often lead to a cumbersome reassembly. These unorganized routes usually tend to not to be very time efficient.

This tray is the perfect companion for anyone would finds themselves needing to perform frequent maintenance on their motors. Whether you are a backyard basher, or a hardcore racer, the Acratech motor tray is most certainly an item that deserves a spot in your pit box. The ability to organize your motor components and have then quickly on hand when needed is invaluable, and I know I will most certainly put mine to good use.