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AJS 360 Degree Aluminum Work/Display/Tuning Stand
We first reviewed the original style, "stationary" 180 AJS
T-Maxx stand close to two years ago! Man...time flies when you are hooked
on RC. Their high quality T-Maxx stand has been a BYT shop favorite
since it first arrived at our shop. If it was not built so incredibly
well, we would have worn it out by now.
The world of RC has progressed during the last two years and AJS Machine
is no exception. Their latest product takes the stand we have grown
to love and cherish to the next level....it rotates! Let's take a look
at their new 360 degree stand.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: AJS
offers the 360 degree stand in several models to fit the entire Traxxas
"Maxx" family of trucks, the REVO, all the Savage's and the
AE Monster GT. As we already have a stand for our Maxx's, we thought
our new Savage SS deserved the same treatment. The stand arrived promptly
and the packaging was very nice. Each piece was bagged in a very heavy
mil plastic bag to reduce the chance of shipping damage and then it
was packed with a heavy wrapping paper. Once we got everything out of
the bags and on the bench, we started putting it together. There are
no instructions with the stand but assembly is so simple that an amoeba
could do it with it's hands tied behind their back (don't e-mail us...we
know they don't have hands). You get the idea. Included parts are the
base, the pedestal, the cradle and all the required hardware. We also
opted for the optional tool tray accessory. It has proven to be a big
asset on our other stand and we wanted nothing less for our Savage.
 QUALITY:
The machine work on all the components of the stand is exceptional.
The cradle is CNC milled out of 1/8" 5052 aluminum. The tool tray
is CNC milled out of 6061 1/4” thick aluminum. The pedestal is
constructed of thick wall aluminum tube.
The holes in the base plate where the pedestal hardware connects to
the base are countersunk (see picture to the left). This keeps the stand
flat and prevents the screw heads from munging up your bench top. Four
screws are used to attach the pedestal to the base and create a rock
solid mounting design. This could have been done with fewer screws but
we are glad to see that AJS went with four.
The quality of the hardware is very good and large size screws are used
for maximum holding power.
 PERFORMANCE:
The simple fact that the stand rotates makes working on your truck a
breeze. Remove two tires, loosen the thumb screw, give it a spin and
remove the other two tires! When you need the truck to stay put, crank
down the screw and it stays in place.
A performance boosting item of this rotating stand is a nylon bushing
that's located between the pedestal and the truck cradle. The bushing
minimizes friction and allows the stand to rotate very smoothly and
without any irritating metal-to-metal noise. This could be an item that
many companies might have omitted to reduce cost but not AJS. Little
things like this is one of the reasons why AJS is the premiere RC stand
manufacturer in the industry.
We also really like that you can lock the stand into place to keep it
from spinning away from you while you are working on it. A simple locking
screw goes into the pedestal and contacts the cradle shaft. AJS took
the initiative to machine a groove in the shaft for the locking screw
to turn into, eliminating any damage to the shaft which might hinder
smooth turning of the cradle. SMART! The plastic thumb knob gives you
plenty of leverage to lock the stand into place. In fact it takes little
effort to keep the cradle from moving.
Just like the 180 stand, you can load the truck into the cradle either
way; it is bidirectional. There is not a "front" or back"
to the cradle. When you place the truck into the cradle, it is very
stable. The cradle fits the chassis like a glove. Here's another great
feature of the cradle. You can buy additional cradles separately and
use the same base. So you can have a Savage cradle, a T-Maxx cradle,
a REVO cradle and a AE MGT cradle that all use the same base/stand.
Additional cradles are inexpensive at only $29.95 each. This is a big
benefit for those of us who have several "flavors" of monster
trucks.
The optional tool tray rotates along with the cradle. This is a nice
feature as any hardware you remove from the left side of the truck,
stays on the left side of the truck! Each side of the tray has numerous
places for different size tools to rest and a sunken tray to toss hardware
into. There are also two spots on each side of the tray to screw spare
glow plugs into.
The base plate is large, thick and heavy. Even when we got our Savage
spinning like a top, it was very stable and never once wobbled. Take
a look at the short video we shot of the stand in action (the rattling
noise you might hear is the wrenches jiggling around...the stand itself
is very smooth and quiet). It shows how smoothly it spins and how stable
it is. Another bonus is that the stand can be bolted to a work bench
using 1/4-20 bolts (the bolts are not included for this but more importantly,
the holes are predrilled should you choose to mount it to your bench).
Just know that it is not necessary as far as stability goes.
FIT / FINISH: The fit
and finish of the various parts is superb. Everything lined up perfectly,
as expected.
We did notice that the finish on the tool tray was not quite the same
as the rest of the stand. It had less of a "smooth" look to
it. This is not a problem really as much of the tray is hidden under
the cradle and if you use the tray (which you will), it gets scuffed
up anyway. We asked AJS about this and they told us they have been working
on some different finishes to make their stands look even better than
they already do. It is nice to see companies constantly striving to
make their product better...even on something as simple as the finish!
APPEARANCE: The stand
looks superb. In fact, it is now the best looking part of our shop (other
than our trucks of course). Actually, our trucks look even better sitting
on this stand!!
COST / VALUE: The 360 stand retails for
$74.95 and the optional tool tray is an additional $24.95. AJS offers
a "Pro Package with the stand and tool tray for $99.95. Do we wish
it was a little bit less expensive? Sure. Can we debate the price when
looking at the quality, construction and performance of the stand? Nope.
The value is there and it is worth every penny. Don't forget that for
only $29.95, you can buy an additional cradle to hold other truck models.
They also offer a "universal" cradle that is flat in design
and would work great for stadium trucks and buggys. The ability to use
multiple cradles on the same base/stand adds additional value to the
entire package.
THE VERDICT: This is truly a first class
stand from top to bottom. It is no surprise that we absolutely love
this stand. We love the stationary stand and never expected AJS to improve
upon that design! Being able to rotate the truck to the exact position
you want without removing it from the stand is a big time saver on wrenching
time.
Things like tools and stands are often pushed down the "to buy"
list for other go fast goodies. Stop moving this stand down your "to
buy" list and make it your next purchase. In reality, it is an
investment in your shop and your hobby. Not to mention it is a pleasure
to use! Visit the AJS
Machine web site to learn more this stand and other products they
offer. You can also purchase this and other cool items (like Bead Lock
Wheels) right on their site. Bonus, they also take PayPal.
Tell them that the guys at Beat Your truck sent you!
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AJS Machine - 360 Degree Aluminum Savage Work/Display/Tuning Stand 
