If you are new to this sport, then you may not know what the best placement is for your trucks. You might be wondering, “What is a truck?” Well, a truck is the part of the longboard that you hold down when you are riding. This part of the board is under your feet. You also have a tail which is the part of the board that is behind the truck. However, longboards are surfboards with trucks or wheels that allow riders to roll down the board instead of walking across it. A longboard is a great choice for fun.
This article talks about Longboard truck mounting and offers tips to get you the perfect place to place your trucks. This can be an important aspect of playing longboards since it can influence how your board handles. The placement of trucks has a big impact on your riding experience.
Longboard Truck Installation
Table of Contents
In order to install the truck correctly, you must first know how far back you should place it in the wheelbase. The proper distance will depend on how wide your truck is. If your truck is less than 16 inches wide, then place it 15 inches back from the wheels. If it is between 16 and 20 inches wide, place it 17 inches back from the wheels. If it is larger than 20 inches, then place it 21 inches back from the wheels.
After placing the truck properly, you must install the bolts. Before doing so, you must drill holes in your truck. The holes should be located at each of the corners of the truck. Now it is time to test your setup by using a piece of wood to see if the truck is level. If the wood is parallel with the ground, then you have installed your truck correctly.
Longboard Trucks: Types, Styles, Size, Advantages & Replacement
When you ride a longboard, you hold on to the front of the board and then walk along with it while it rolls forward. The deck is the front part of the board and If I talk about longboard trucks, they are made out of plastic and look like tiny skateboards, but they are used to transport longboards. The trucks are usually located at the back of the board. Moreover, the truck mounts are the parts of the board that you attach to the trucks.
Type of Longboard Truck
To understand the type of truck you need to determine what size truck you have. If it is less than 16 inches wide, then you need a 15-inch truck. If it is between 16 and 20 inches wide, then you need a 17-inch truck. If it is larger than 20 inches, then you need a 21-inch truck.
Longboard Trucks Styles
Longboard trucks are available in three styles. The first style is an “insert” style that attaches to the center of the nose of the board. This style provides maximum stability on the nose of the board, with no flex to the board.
The second style is a full-length “hump” style that extends fully across the width of the board. This style allows for maximum flex and is more suitable for carving.
Finally, the third style is a “slab” style that is narrower than the first two styles, giving it less flex and more maneuverability.
Longboard Truck Size
There is no right or wrong truck size or positioning, but most people agree that it is better to have the truck under the foot rather than above. You should consider where the truck will be going. Does the board really need to go so fast? What if it isn’t that fast? Would it be faster if you changed your stance position?
Well, Longboard trucks come in a variety of sizes. For example, there are full-width trucks with four wheels, two-wheel trucks with one wheel on each side, and even single-wheel trucks. In the last case, the single-wheel trucks can be used for the full length of the board. When deciding where to place the truck, do consider the board size.
Advantages of Longboard Trucks
Longboard trucks offer several advantages and have different placements. Most importantly, they allow you to ride on any type of surfboard or longboard. They are easily removable, allowing you to switch your truck from board to board quickly and easily. Furthermore, the trucks are made from durable polycarbonate and feature a secure hold for your feet.
Replacing Longboard Trucks
Longboard trucks can be removed and replaced with ease. Each style provides a specific amount of flexibility and is rated accordingly. Insert trucks are rated for heavy use and provide the strongest grip of all the styles. Full-length trucks are rated for moderate use and provide more flex than the insert style. Slabs are rated for light use and are considered the least stable.
Understanding Longboard Truck Mount
Longboard trucks are mounted through holes in the bottom of the board so that when the truck hits the ground the nose of the truck will come out through the hole in the bottom. The nose is flat so you can ride backward and forwards.
Longboard Mount Hole Pattern
The mount hole patterns for longboard trucks should be according to the length of the trucks. If the trucks are short, the holes should be placed on the bottom face. This makes it easier to change the height of the trucks using bolts. If the tracks are long, the holes should be placed on the top face. This helps the board flex.
Moreover, they will accommodate both concave and convex-shaped boards. It can help a beginner or someone with a wide range of skill levels to find the ideal riding position. Moreover, this allows the rider to experiment with different mounting positions until they find a comfortable setup.
Longboard Truck Pattern
A longboard truck pattern is defined by which mounting holes are used to support the truck from underneath the board. The type of truck used depends upon the mounting strategy selected, such as having the trucks mounted using 3/8″ x 1″ aluminum bolts, using 5/16″ x 5/16″ aluminum bolts, or having them mounted with 5/8″ stainless steel bolts. This pattern will allow for any number of mounting strategies, including single mounting holes on the underside of the deck, multiple holes, and holes on both sides. This pattern can be cut from 3/4″ or 4″ thick plywood.
Traditional truck mount patterns are simple and depend on the length of the truck to determine where to place the trucks. New School Truck mount patterns are versatile and can be modified to suit any rider. Moreover, New school trucks have a higher toe box and more modern truck mounting patterns. They’re designed with a bigger stance and they’re longer as well.
Longboard Truck Placement – How to Check?
To make sure that the longboard truck is placed properly, measure the distance from the wheelbase to the back of the truck, then add an extra foot (30 inches) for the truck to sit on. Place the truck on top of the tire as you go around the truck and measure where the truck is on the side. The placement should be about halfway between the rear and front wheels. If it is too high, the truck will not be stable when standing on its nose. If it is too low, then the rear end will rock when you ride in a straight line.
Mismatched Trucks and Deck Holes – What will Happen?
A truck that is too tall will hit your fence before it hits the ground, but a truck that is too low can easily miss the hole. When deck holes are too wide, they will fill with water faster than smaller deck holes. When the water level in the deck hole is too high, the hole will fill up, making it more difficult for water to flow out.
I’ve seen this happen before. Someone buys an outdoor deck because they think it’s supposed to be installed next to their home. But the size and shape are wrong. After years of rainwater sitting in the hole below the deck, the deck’s structural beams begin to rot. Then a few years later, the deck has rotted right out from under them.
Conclusion
I use Longboards for downhill racing, and also for training at parks and local tracks. Longboard trucks are an integral part of the board. When looking for longboard trucks, the most important thing to look for is compatibility with the shape of your board. If you have a round truck on a square-shaped board, you’ll be in trouble when you hit a bump. Look at the board and the trucks’ patterns to determine which will work best together.