What You Need to Know About Longboard Trucks

Trucks are the axle of a longboard. Trucks are mounted to the deck and hold the wheels. There are a few mounting options and a variety of truck styles to choose from. Trucks are traditionally mounted under the deck, often times with risers to raise the deck a little. There are also drop through trucks in which the deck is mounted in the middle of the truck. The reasoning for this is to lower the riders center of gravity which can be helpful in many ways. In the case of a low rider longboard, the deck can be mounted under the trucks and hanger.

There is also a variety of truck styles. The traditional truck has one set of bushings between the hanger and the mount. Traditional kingpin style trucks are suited for street boards and grinding. Reverse kingpin trucks are more suited for carves and turns while keeping the board higher off the ground. Risers can also be used between the trucks and the deck to increase the ground clearance of your board.

The king pin and bushings can be tightened to give a more stable ride when traveling fast, but this will limit the turning radius of the board. With the trucks loose, the turning radius increases and the board is more suitable for carving. There are trucks with double bushings, which allow for very tight turns and carves, but these are unstable for high speeds. There are also trucks that use springs instead of bushings.

Trucks are a crucial part of your ride, but there a few main things to remember. Longboards usually have truck hangers around 4-8 inches and the longer they are the more stable they will be. Also, loose trucks are great for carving and turning while tight trucks give you more stability with speed. Stay safe out there, and if your riding and the thought pops into your head “should I have a helmet on for this?” The answer is always YES.

Thanks for Reading About Longboard Trucks!

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