If you’ve ever tried skateboarding, then you know how hard it can be to keep your board from flying out from underneath you. The first time you attempt it, it’s almost guaranteed that at some point during the experience, your board will slip out and send you flying. In this article, we share everything you need to know about how to tighten skateboard trucks and have the best skating experience possible.
How To Tighten Skateboard Trucks?
Check your axle nuts
First, check your axle nuts. Loose or faulty axle nuts are often what cause loose trucks. If they’re not tightened up properly, they can get knocked around and loosen over time to the point where the truck is basically just hanging by the axle nut. To tighten up your axle nuts, use an axle nut wrench or just grab a pair of pliers. Use a wrench if your nuts are particularly loose; if they’re just a bit lose, you can use pliers to tighten them up enough to make a difference. The next step is to make sure your bushings are in good shape.
Rebend your deck
Check to see if your deck is bent or warped – if it is, you can try bending it back into shape. (You don’t want to try bending a brand new deck, though – that may break it.) This can sometimes help the board sit more flush with the trucks, which will help tighten them up. If your board is a bit warped, try putting it in the oven (only if it’s made of wood!) or a warm place for a while. A warm environment can sometimes magically straighten out a warped deck. If that doesn’t work, you can also try placing a heavy item on top of the deck to weigh it down. Just make sure whatever you put on top of the deck is evenly distributed; otherwise, you might end up bending the item instead.
Tighten the hanger
The hanger is the thing that the baseplate screws into on top of the deck. Some skateboard trucks have a single-flanged hanger, while others have a double-flanged hanger. If yours is a single-flanged hanger, you can tighten it up by bending it in towards the deck with a pair of pliers. If you have a double-flanged hanger, try bending it outwards instead – this helps create more pressure inside the truck. This is why adjusting the hanger is a good way to tighten up your trucks.
Shake the wheels
Another thing you can do to test the tightness of your trucks is to shake the wheels. If the trucks are loose, you’ll hear and feel a rattling noise when you shake them. This won’t do anything to tighten them up, but it’s a good way to see if they’re loose. If they are, there are a couple of things you can do to tighten them back up. The first thing you can do is grab a wrench and tighten up the axle nuts. The second thing you can do is grab a skate tool and try tightening the wheel nuts. You may want to put a thick cloth or a paper towel between the skate tool and the wheel nuts to prevent them from getting scratched up.
Try a different size wrench
If you’ve already tried all of the above methods and your trucks still seem loose, try a different size wrench. Most skateboard trucks have a standard size that you can find at any hardware store, but sometimes the ones you have are just a little bit too big or too small. Be sure that you’re using the right size wrench – if you’re using a wrench that is too big, it won’t tighten up the truck properly and it may even damage the hardware. If you’ve used a wrench that is too small, you won’t be able to tighten the trucks up enough and they might still be loose. A helpful way to make sure you’re using the right size wrench is to mark the wrench with a sharpie to indicate which size it is.
Why Do You Need to Tighten Your Trucks?
Your Trucks Are Loose
The first thing you should look at when your trucks are loose is the mounting pattern. If you have a standard skateboard, chances are you have either a standard width (SW) or a wide (W) mounting pattern. If that is the case, you are going to need a standard or hybrid truck. These will have a flat mounting surface that matches up with either of the two mounting patterns. They will definitely be tighter than if you have an old-school skateboard that only has a standard mounting pattern. If you have an old-school skateboard and you can’t seem to get the trucks tight enough to do the trick, then you need a new mounting pattern. This will mean you will have to get new trucks and either a new skateboard deck or new mounting hardware to put the deck on.
It’s A Snap-Thru Problem
If your trucks are tight and you still can’t get the grind down, then the problem might have less to do with the trucks and more to do with the snap-thru. The snap-thru is basically the middle section of your board between the trucks and the deck. This is usually made out of plywood and comes in tons of different shapes and sizes. If your snap-thru is too thin, it will not give enough resistance for you to be able to grind. The same will happen if your truck mounting pattern is too narrow. If you have a standard mounting pattern and a thick enough snap-thru, you should be able to grind.
Your Wheels Are Wrecking Your Grind
If the problem lies in the fact that your wheels are causing the grind to be too harsh, then the solution is rather simple. You need to get a different wheel or different durometer of the same wheel. If you are grinding on a wheel that is too hard, then it will not be able to roll over the surface of the board without wearing a groove into it. The same will happen if you are grinding on a wheel that is too soft. If your wheels are too soft, they won’t be able to grip the surface of the board and will just be pushed along the surface.
When Tightening Your Trucks?
- If your trucks are too loose, they will barely hold your wheels in place. This means your wheels will be too far apart.
- If your trucks are too tight, they will push your wheels together.
- This means your wheels will be too close together. If your wheels are too far apart, they won’t roll smoothly, and they could rub against each other.
- If your wheels are too close together, your board will be too heavy.
- If you’re not sure if your wheels are where they should be, you can use a skateboard wheel gauge.
- This tool is designed to help you adjust the tightness of your trucks so that your wheels are the perfect distance apart. You can get these tools online or in skate shops.
Tips For Adjusting And Trying Skateboard Trucks
- Make sure your wheels are the right size for your board. If your wheels are too big, you may have to tighten your trucks too much to keep them from rubbing against each other. If your wheels are too small, they may be too close together.
- Make sure your wheels are the right hardness for your skating style. If your wheels are too soft, you may have to tighten your trucks too much so that they don’t rub against each other. If your wheels are too hard, they may be too close together.
- Make sure your skateboard’s trucks and wheels are compatible with each other. For example, many people use wheels designed for longboards on skateboards because they’re bigger than many wheels designed for skateboards. If you use wheels that are too big for your board, your wheels may be too far apart, and you may have to tighten your trucks too much.
Bottom Line
There are many factors to consider when adjusting the tightness of your skateboard trucks. It’s important to have the right wheels and wheels that are the right size for your board. It’s also important to have the right hardness for your skating style. You want your wheels to be as close together as possible without rubbing against each other.
