They are mounted to the bottom of your deck, support the wheels and bearings and keep them attached to your deck, this is one of the most important pieces and one that will determine in a big way the overall performance of your board and what you will be able to do with it, this is something to keep in mind at the time that you are choosing a certains skateboarding style such as street, cruising or even longboard skateboarding
You can also adjust how tight or loose they are set which will affect turning capabilities on your board and also the way you perform moving and static tricks! They are composed of axles, hangers, kingpins and bushings, all of these components have to be working in harmony for you to be able to have a smooth ride and kick some sick tricks!
Trucks need to be adjusted to perform tighter turns or tricks on your board, you can also choose softer bushings for easy turning, or hard bushings for stiff turning. How loose or tight you keep your trucks really depends on your preference, and style of skateboarding you choose to perform! For example, for street skateboarding it is recommended to set the trucks tight since it will give you more stability while landing tricks and in cruising, trucks are set very loose since it will allow more room to carve and take on curves at high speeds, but again, it all depends on your preference and how YOU feel comfortable riding your board!
Let's take a look at the main components mentioned above and some specifications to keep in mind while choosing your new trucks!
This is the long pin that runs through the hanger and attaches to the wheels. For the best fit, the ends of your axle should line up the sides of your skateboard deck width. Most brands use a general measuring method for these pieces, either in millimeters or inches.
All axle nuts require a 3/8 inch wrench socket
This is the largest part of the skateboard truck, a metal triangular shaped piece that supports the axle, which runs straight through it.
It's the large bolt that fits inside the bushings and holds all of the parts together. hollow kingpins and axles are very popular nowadays since they will tend to make the trucks less heavy and they don't affect the strength or durability of your set up. Keep in mind that kingpins can break because they hold the amount of pressure placed upon bushings.
If you need to decide between the hollow or solid, keep in mind that hollow ones will be lighter, and the solid ones, under tighter pressure settings will help you with the more impact-heavy tricks if you are planning on skating big drops or stairs.
All kingpin nuts require a 9/16 inch wrench socket.
The bushings are the soft urethane rings fitted around the kingpin to allow the board to turn and pivot smoothly.
You can expect to mostly find aluminum hangars and steel axles when shopping for your skateboard trucks but you can also find them made of titanium and even brushed steel. Once again, what you buy depends on your skateboard riding style. If you are a beginner we recommend you get a full skateboarding set up and find out by yourself by adjusting them, how is it that you like to ride or simply ask in your local skate shop, they are always open and also used to receiving newcomers and answer any questions you might have regarding which skateboarding trucks you should get to start with!
You can also check our selection of the best quality trucks that will serve all of your needs at any level of skateboarding
The right size is measured by hanger or axle width. The most common setup is for the truck axle to be approximately the same width as your skateboarding deck, this setup offers the most stability. Generally speaking, go with an axle that is just greater or less than 1/4" the width of the board.
Here is a little chart that compares the trucks suitable for each deck size:
The distance between the bottom of the deck and the hanger is what will determine the discipline that you practice. In general, a midsize trucks work well for most skateboarders and disciplines, but high or low trucks may be preferred for different styles of skating such as longboarding or cruising, the height of the trucks and the hardware will also determine if you will need or not riser pads to be able to set up the trucks properly.
Provides extra stability for flip tricks, designed for small wheels (50-53mm wheel size recommended)
Good all-around profile for street or park (53-56mm wheel size recommended)
Great for cruising and carving, designed for large wheels (56mm+ wheel size recommended)
Maybe you are cleaning your garage and you happened to find your fathers or older brothers skate set up from the 80’s! You just found yourself a jewel, don't throw it away, try to clean it and restore it, you can still find a way to do so, one of the best things about this industry is that manufacturers are still to this dte creating and innovating on methods to create “global” pieces that fit all of the specifications and even gear from different times, if you examine this older skateboard deck, you may notice that today's baseplate is slightly too short for your deck's mounting holes, most of the trucks on the market won't fit the older hole pattern, your best bet is to check out the brands Independent or tracker (159s, 169s, and 215s). They have 6-hole baseplates, which will fit both the old and the new school patterns.
This way, once greased and maybe after getting a new set of bearings and wheels you would be able to ride that SHIT® all the way to the past and back!
SHIT® SKATEBOARD COMPANY
Established in 2000 by two skateboard buddys in Stavanger, the west coast of Norway. Pushing skateboarding forward. For skateboarders by skateboarders.
