Components of a Skateboard Truck

Baseplate

Hanger

Kingpin

Bushings

Pivot Cup

How to Measure Skateboard Trucks

How to Put Trucks on a Skateboard

How Tight Should Skateboard Trucks Be

How to Loosen and Tighten Skateboard Trucks

How to Take Trucks off a Skateboard

How to Clean Skateboard Trucks

Trucks are one of the most essential and durable parts of your skateboard. They are located underneath the board connecting your wheels and bearings to the deck. Every skateboard deck has two trucks; one is near the nose and the other near the tail.

The performance of your skateboard hugely depends on these trucks. They provide skating stability, allow your board to turn, and help you perform various tricks.

Generally, the width of the truck matches the width of our deck, but it is not always necessary.

The following are the different components of a skateboard truck.

The baseplate is the most important component of a skateboard truck. It is the top part that connects the truck itself to the deck.

Another important component is the hanger which is attached to the baseplate. It is used for grinding. The Axle runs through this hanger, where the wheels and bearings get attached.

Kingpin holds the truck parts together. The baseplate and the hanger are connected together with the help of this kingpin. It sits inside the bushings.

Bushings are placed in between the hanger and baseplate of your truck. They allow your skateboard to turn smoothly and freely. Stiffer bushings allow you to control the board more easily but hard to turn. On the other hand, soft bushings allow you to turn the board more easily but hard to control.

Pivot cup determines the performance of your board. When you make turns, the pivot cup supports the hanger of your truck. It fits inside the pivot hole of the baseplate.

When buying or installing skateboard trucks, it is important to measure them to buy the right trucks having the right width. These trucks are either measured by considering the width of the hanger or the width of the axle. But it is always suggested to consider the axle width. The performance of your board hugely depends on the width of your trucks.

Your truck width must be according to the width of your deck. In most cases, the full truck width matches the deck width. But it doesn’t mean that slightly wider or slightly narrower trucks are not suitable; they are perfectly alright.

Much wider trucks always create problems while riding. You won’t be able to get the general board feel. Also, they will affect your ability to do flip tricks. Similarly, too narrow trucks are also not suitable.

In order to measure the trucks, you can use a measuring tape. First, measure the width of your deck and then measure the truck width. If you don’t have a measuring tape, put your skateboard on the side in a horizontal position. Now, place the truck on the board in the same position to check whether the width of the truck matches the deck width. Also, you can confirm the width by putting your board in a vertical position and place the truck on it. The width of the truck must look the same from the top.

Putting trucks on a skateboard deck is easy. Make sure the holes in the grip tape are visible to you. If not, you can poke the holes using any sharp tool. There must be a minimum of eight holes, four near the nose of the deck and four near the tail.

You must need good quality hardware to attach your trucks to the board. As you need to fill all the holes, you must have the right number of screws. Now, insert all the screws into the mounting holes. Make sure all the screws are perfectly placed.

Next, turn your deck upside down. Here, you will see the ends of the screws coming out of the board.

Each baseplate of the truck has four or six holes. The end of the screws must go into these holes to attach the baseplate to the deck. The kingpin must go towards the center, facing inside of the board, whereas the hanger facing the outside of the deck.

Now, it is time to attach the nuts and tighten them up. You can use a skate tool or wrench for this. While tightening up the nuts, make sure you hold the screws from the other end of the deck.

It all depends on your personal preferences. Many skaters like to keep their trucks tight, whereas many skaters go for the loose ones. If you can easily control your board with tight trucks, go for it, or if you can control the board with loose trucks, then they are good for you.

If you are a beginner, tight trucks are suitable for you. Loose trucks can lead to accidents if you are new to skating.

Tight trucks keep you pretty steady while riding, but you won’t be able to make sharp turns. If you love to ride faster, you should go for tight trucks as they offer stability and a comfortable riding experience. Due to this stability, you won’t experience speed wobbles. Not only this, tight trucks help you do flip tricks and avoid wheelbite. Moreover, for a ramp or vertical skateboarding, people prefer tight trucks.

On the other hand, loose trucks help you avoid different obstacles by taking sharp turns. They allow skaters to perform manuals (a freestyle skateboarding trick). Also, they offer better landings. However, you can’t ride faster with loose trucks as you will experience speed wobbles while riding.

In simple words, loose trucks support different tricks and stunts well, whereas tight trucks offer stable, faster rides.

A single big nut of the kingpin located at the center of the truck helps you adjust the tightness of your skateboard trucks.

To loosen or tighten the trucks, flip your deck upside down. You can either use a wrench or skate tool to adjust the tightness.

To tighten your trucks, turn the nut in the clockwise direction and to loosen the trucks, turn your nut counter-clockwise.

To take the trucks off your skateboard, again, you need a skate tool or wrench. The nuts attaching the baseplate with the deck must be removed first. Hold each nut with a skate tool and remove it. Repeat the same process to get all the nuts. While unscrewing the nuts, make sure you are holding the screws with a screwdriver from the other side of the deck.

Now, take off all the screws to remove both the trucks from your skateboard.

In order to clean your skateboard trucks, you need to separate all the components of the truck. First, remove the wheels from the axle and then the nut of the kingpin, hanger, bushings, and the baseplate.

First, clean the axle and the hanger of the truck. The axle catches more dust and grime than any other part of the skateboard truck. You can use a cleaning solution or a moist cloth to remove all the dust and grime. Also, you can use a toothbrush to reach the areas that are hard to reach with a piece of cloth.

The other hardware of the truck can also be cleaned by putting them in a cleaning solution or using a moist cloth.

If you want to make your trucks look new and shiny, use metal or chrome polish. Use a towel to rub the polish on your trucks.

Read More: Skateboard Trucks 101: The Complete Guide