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A top choice for users who skate on a regular basis thanks to its durability.
Both the hanger and baseplate are made from aluminum, which allows them to withstand consistent grinds without breaking. The Supercush bushings maintain consistent and predictable turns. Has a good amount of clearance without having to install risers.
Doesn't come with mounting hardware.
A solid budget-friendly set that can go on a wide range of board sizes.
Comes in 4 different widths, which allows you to get the precise size that you want. The kingpin will stay tight without having to do too many adjustments over time. Comes with 1-inch mounting hardware. The baseplate is sturdy and durable for a long-lasting feel.
Some users may find them to be a tad on the heavy side.
A great set of trucks that are perfect for a longboard set-up.
Offer great stability and extra tunability. Designed to produce speed from consistent carves. The trucks are perfect for uphill and downhill rides and provide a much smoother ride with minimal wobbles. The bushing system allows for the board to turn quickly.
The bushings can be slightly difficult to tune precisely.
Great flat-surface trucks that provide a good turn radius.
Perfect for slopes and flat surfaces. They provide agility and maneuverability and give you more control over your board. The bearings are highly responsive and help correct any wobbles you may experience. The trucks will also help you maintain a good level of balance.
Can be loud at high speeds.
If you are looking for long-lasting durability then these are it.
These are great for beginners. The profile sits high enough over the ground to avoid wheel bites that can lead to damage to the deck, wheels, or yourself. They are great for grinding and will break in very quickly to give you a comfortable ride.
They can get scratched easily.
We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.
When looking for a skateboard, you probably aren’t giving much thought to the skateboard trucks. These metal pieces fit on the underside of the skateboard, providing the axle for the wheels.
The skateboard itself draws most of the attention with its shape and design elements. The trucks certainly are a vital element to the skateboard, but people don’t think much about them once they have them installed.
However, skateboard trucks are extremely important to the performance of the board. Certain trucks allow for specialized tricks or deliver extra stability for riders who need it.
Although trucks all have the same basic parts and designs, you can adjust them slightly to create different features that better match your riding style and your personal tastes. You may want to pick certain skateboard trucks to replace the pair of trucks on your current board, creating new features and capabilities for you. We’ll explain the important parts of trucks, and our shopping guide can help you find high-quality models that fit your needs.
Picking the correct size of skateboard trucks is important to achieve the proper level of performance.
When you want the maximum level of performance, match the width of the trucks’ axles to the width of the skateboard deck as closely as possible. You should not select a truck with an axle that has a significantly greater or lesser width than the deck. If the axles’ widths are off by a little bit, say about 1/4 inch, it shouldn’t affect stability too much. However, more of a difference can cause problems.
If you select skateboard trucks with axles that have a greater width than the desk of the board, you lose responsiveness. It’s also possible that the wheels tend to suffer from wheel bite, which occurs when the wheel makes contact with the board.
If the trucks’ axles aren’t wide enough, the wheels aren’t visible underneath the board, making it extremely difficult to steer the board.
The profile of the skateboard trucks determines the distance of the wheels from the underside of the board.
Some of the primary manufacturers of skateboard trucks include Independent, Royal, Destructo, Caliber, Thunder, Tensor, Venture, Ace, CCS, Gullwing, and Krux.
Each of the two trucks on the board has its own axle. The axle spins inside the truck, allowing the wheels to move freely. Because the wheels and axle must support the weight of the skateboarder, the axle needs to consist of an extremely durable material.
The ends of the axles should almost exactly line up with the edges of the width of the skateboard. An axle nut spins onto the threading at the end of the axle, holding the wheels in place.
Some people seek out hollow axles, as this design eliminates weight from the truck, but a hollow axle is not as durable as a solid axle.
The baseplate is the rectangular-shaped section of the skateboard truck that connects to the skateboard with nuts and bolts. It usually has four bolt holes. A tightly attached baseplate is key to providing a stabilized ride on the board.
The truck contains urethane or plastic rings called bushings. These fit around the kingpin and allow the skateboarder to adjust the movement of the board from side to side for steering. These bushings will need replacement from time to time, as they absorb a lot of stress.
The hanger is an almost triangular-shaped piece that extends from the baseplate and provides a tunnel for the axle. It helps to protect the axle as it supports the weight of the skateboarder while allowing the axle to spin freely.
The distance the hanger extends away from the baseplate determines whether you have a high, mid, or low profile.
The kingpin is a large bolt that holds the skateboard truck together. The hanger and baseplate attach to each other with the kingpin.
Kingpins absorb a lot of stress, so it’s important to examine this bolt on a regular basis. Some skateboarders try to save weight in the truck by selecting a hollow kingpin, but this design isn’t as durable as a solid kingpin.
The kingpin contains a nut that allows you to adjust the stability and responsiveness of the board. A looser kingpin nut allows for easier turns with a little less overall stability than a tighter kingpin nut.
The pivot cup is a polyurethane piece that sits inside the baseplate. It allows the hanger to slightly flex, which simplifies the process of making turns while riding.
You can add riser pads to the skateboard trucks to move the truck farther from the underside of the skateboard. This allows you to make use of bigger wheels than you otherwise could with the truck alone.
The majority of retailers sell skateboard trucks as a pair, and these prices indicate the cost for a pair.
The least expensive trucks cost $10 to $20. These primarily consist of aluminum and may not stand up well to significant impact and force. However, they’re good for younger kids just learning to skateboard.
Expect to pay $20 to $40 for an average pair of trucks. Some of these models include steel for additional strength and impact resistance. You may find some high-end brands available in this price range as well.
The priciest trucks cost $40 to $75 for the pair. These trucks consist of high-level materials, giving them excellent durability. They also may consist of colors other than silver or chrome, providing a bit of personalization. Although trucks fit onto the bottom of the board, people see them as you’re carrying the board, so some people want a sharp-looking design.
Before the invention of trucks, skateboards looked more like oversized roller skates with very little ability to turn or to do tricks.
You need to perform occasional maintenance on the skateboard trucks, including these actions.
A. No. It’s important to find a truck that matches your skateboarding skills, but the most important factor is matching the width of the truck’s axle to the width of the board. Having truck axles that are wider than the deck of the skateboard causes significant stability problems.
A. The majority of the time, you need to purchase skateboard trucks in pairs. If you’re replacing a broken truck on the board, you should probably replace both trucks to maintain consistency in how the board operates.
A. Typically, a pro skateboarder is seeking a truck design that has extra strength in the baseplate to absorb impacts successfully. It’s also common to use hollow axles and kingpins to reduce the weight of the truck.
A. No. The diameters of the wheels must fit the trucks properly. You have a few different diameters of wheels you can place on an individual model of truck. You don’t want to place a wheel on the truck that’s outside the recommended diameter range — a wheel that’s too large could result in wheel bite.
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