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Trucks
Longboard Trucks, What You Need To Know
The trucks are the mounts for attaching the wheels to the
board and provide the steering mechanism for the board by
turning in the direction of the rider's lean. A set of trucks is
made up of a baseplate which screws to the deck, a hanger which
holds the axle—which in turn holds the wheels. They are
connected by a kingpin with flexible polyurethane bushings to
control flex and turning.
There are several different types of longboard trucks,
differing from 'shortboard' trucks in many ways. The primary
difference is that the hangers are often wider to accommodate
the different sized decks, with 150mm and 180mm being two of the
most common widths. There are also different longboard trucks
for different disciplines, as well as multi-purpose trucks. Many
trucks are equipped with special features, such as inverted
kingpins, as well as spring-loaded trucks, and variable tilt
designs. Trucks designed for maneuverability will have a softer
polyurethane bushing or spring, which allow the truck to turn
with ease. A downhill-type truck will usually have a harder
bushing or spring to stabilize the board at high speeds.
Urethane bushings are also rated on the durometer scale; the
harder the bushing, the harder it is to turn the truck. Bushings
can be replaced and changed, and are generally very cheap
($2-$10).
All trucks have different turning angles. This is known as
the truck's geometry. The geometry of the trucks affects how
much the board will turn. The geometry can be adjusted through
the use of angled risers or "wedges," which are mounted between
the deck and the truck's baseplate. The turning angle will
increase if the trucks are angled toward the outside of the
deck. If the trucks are angled to the inside of the deck,
turning angle will decrease, which can improve stability. Randal
R-II trucks come stock at 50 degrees on the hangers. This is a
typical angle for general purpose trucks as it allows the board
to turn well at a variety of speeds. Randal R-I Downhill style
trucks are more stable, and have a turning angle of 35 degrees
which is better suited to high speed skating. Slalom boards will
use a quick turning truck in the front paired with a stable
truck in the rear, to allow for better traction.
Another type of truck, unique to longboards, is the torsion
truck. Torsion trucks operate differently from standard trucks
in that they twist a urethane bushing or metal spring rather
than using two compression bushings to return the truck to a
straight position. Revenge torsion trucks have a locking
mechanism that prevents wheel bite when the truck hangers turn
too far. The Original S-Series torsion truck does not have a
stop but functions instead on the belief that the deck should be
designed around the trucks (to avoid wheel bite). The lack of a
stop allows Original trucks to lean over further and turn
tighter, although compatible deck selection is limited. Riders
who have experience on conventional, non-torsion truck, designs
may have stability issues when bombing on torsion based trucks,
however with practice torsion truck based setups can easily
handle bombing runs of 30-35 mph (fast enough for all but the
most advanced riders).
