Skateboard Truck Buyer's Guide
Brand Guides
Independent Trucks
Thunder Trucks
Venture Trucks
An Introduction to Skateboard Trucks
Trucks are the metal parts mounted underneath your skateboard, where your wheels attach. When choosing trucks, they are measured by the width of the hanger or the width of the axle and should be close to your board width. Another consideration is truck height and your choice should reflect the type of skateboarding you want to pursue. Trucks are available in a variety of sizes and colours so you can find the right truck for your type of skateboarding and style.
Choosing the right truck is essential in how your board will ride and also prevent wheel bite, which is when your wheels touch the board when turning, which can cause you to fall during a trick or when turning.
Trucks can be adjusted to perform tighter turns or tricks by tightening the king or choosing different hardness bushings.This is all down to rider preference and what type of skateboarding you pursue.
Skateboard Truck Components
Skateboard truck components comprise of a baseplate, hanger, axle pin, a kingpin and bushings.
Baseplate
The base of the truck is called the baseplate, which attaches to your skateboard with four bolts.
Hanger
The hanger is the triangular shaped metal part of a skateboard truck where the axle runs through.
The hanger is attached to the baseplate with a large bolt called a kingpin.
Axle
The axle is a long pin that runs through the hanger where your wheels bolt on. All axle nuts require a 3/8 inch wrench socket.
Kingpin
The kingpin is the page bolt that connects the hanger to the baseplate and where the bushings rest. You can tighten or loosen the kingpin to suit how responsive you prefer your board to turn.
Bushings
Bushings are soft urethane rings the kingpin threads through to allow your board to turn and pivot smoothly. You can chose different hardness bushings to fine tune your steering. Use harder bushings for a stiffer, more responsive ride, and softer bushings for looser board feel.
You can check out our range of bushings here.
Materials
Most modern trucks are made of aluminium hangars and steel axles, however some brands make lighter or hollow trucks with titanium to make the board less heavy.
What Size Skateboard Trucks Do I Need?
The right trucks can make a massive difference to your board set-up and your skateboarding. If you’re new to skateboarding, choosing the right skateboard truck size can be confusing so we’ve put together this 3-step guide to help you find the right truck.
Step 1: Match Your Truck Width to Your Board Width
The width of your trucks should match the width of the deck. Matching your board and truck width means you’ll have a more stable board for flip tricks plus, you’ll know exactly where your wheels are when grinding rails or hitting the ramp coping.
Skateboard truck companies have different size and naming conventions for their trucks, which does not make it easy for the beginner as some manufacturers will list truck size as the length of the axle and some the length of the axle.
Skateboard truck size is measured by the width of either the axle or the hanger width. Different truck widths will effect the way your board feels and should be chosen to suit the style of skateboarding you wish to pursue. The rule of thumb is your trucks should be roughly the same width as your board as this allows for a more stable board, so when choosing trucks make sure the axle is no more or no less than 1/4" the width of the board.
| Axel Size | Deck Size |
| 6" - 7.25" | 6.5" - 7.25" |
| 7.5" | 7.25" - 7.5" |
| 7.75" | 7.5"- 8" |
| 8" | 8"- 8.5" |
| 8.5" | 8.5" - 9" |
| 9" | 9" - 10” |
| 10" | 10"+ |
Popular Truck Brand Sizes and Naming Conventions
| Hanger | Axle | Independent | Thunder | Destructo | Venture | Tensor | Royal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0" | 7.75" | 129 | 145 | 5.0" | 5.0 | 5.0" | 127 |
| 5.25" | 8.0" | 139 | 147 | 5.25" | 5.2 | 5.25" | 139 |
| 5.5" | 8.25" | 144 | 148 | 5.5" | 5.6 | 5.5" | 144 |
| 5.75" | 8.5" | 149 | 149 | 5.75" | 5.8 | 5.75" | 149 |
| 6.0" | 8.75" | 159 | 151 | 6.0" | 6.1 | - | 159 |
Step 2: Chose a Truck Height
Skateboard trucks also come in three different heights: Low, Mid and High.
Low: Fast turning, responsive pop, better stability when grinding and a more stable centre of gravity. Ideal for technical skateboarding, flip tricks, ledge grinds and skateparks. Make sure you choose a wheel between 50mm to 53mm to avoid wheel bite.
Mid: Want the best qualities of the lows and and highs all in one truck? That’s essentially the mid height truck. Good for street and skatepark skateboarding. We recommend 53-56mm wheel size.
High: Tighter turning, more room to pivot and can run larger wheel and looser trucks. You’ll get a faster, smoother ride however the board will be harder to balance on. Highs are also perfect for transition skateboarding. We recommend 56mm+ wheel size.
Step 3: Chose What Feels Right For You
This is only a rough guide and everyone skates differently so, at the end of the day, choose what feels best for you.
You can check out our huge range of skatebaord trucks here.