Skateboard Trucks
Buyer's Guide

Trucks are simple to understand. Most of their features are determined by the other parts of your setup. We'll break down their relationship to the wheels and the deck. Read our guide, find the right trucks and skateboarding will be easier.

Chapter 1

Which width trucks should I use?

The width of your trucks should match the width of your deck. However, different manufacturers sometimes use different dimensions, which can often be confusing. The table shows you the dimensions of the manufacturers in our product range and whether they fit your deck. You can also find these information on the product pages of the respective decks and trucks.

Deck width (inch)	Ace AF1	Ace Classic	Independent	Krux	Slappy	Tensor	Thunder	Venture
7.0"						4.75
7.125"						4.75	143
7.25"	22	11		7.6		4.75	143
7.375"	22	11	129	7.6		4.75 / 5.0	143 / 145
7.5"	22	11 / 22	129	7.6	7.5	5.0	145
7.625"	22	22	129	7.6	7.5	5.0	145	5.0
7.75"	22	22	129	7.6 / 8.0	7.75	5.0	145	5.0
7.875"	22	22 / 33	139	7.6 / 8.0	7.75	5.25	145 / 147	5.0 / 5.2
8.0"	22 / 33	33	139	8.0 / 8.25	8.0	5.25	147	5.2
8.125"	33	33	139	8.0 / 8.25	8.0	5.25 / 5.5	147 / 148	5.2 / 5.6
8.2"	33	33	139 / 144	8.0 / 8.25	8.0	5.5	148	5.6
8.25"	33 / 44	33 / 44	144	8.25 / 8.5	8.25	5.5	148	5.6
8.375"	44	44	144 / 149	8.5	8.25	5.5 / 5.75	148	5.6 / 5.8
8.4"	44	44	149	8.5	8.25	5.75	148 / 149	5.8
8.5"	44 / 55	44	149	8.5 / 9.0	8.5	5.75	149	5.8
8.6"	55	44	149 / 159	8.5 / 9.0	8.5	5.75	149	5.8
8.625"	55	44	159	8.5 / 9.0	8.5	5.75	149 / 151	6.1
8.75"	55 / 60	44 / 55	159	8.5 / 9.0	8.75		151	6.1
9.0"	60 / 66	55	159 / 169	8.5 / 9.0	9.0		161	6.1
9.25"	66 / 77	66	169	9.0	9.25		161
9.5"	77	66	169	9.0	9.5		161 / 181
10.0"			215	9.0	10.0		181

Choose
your truck width

Small trucks for kids' decks

These trucks fit slim decks up to 7.5".

Graphic showing the front nose of a skateboard where the trucks have the same width as the deck

Chapter 2

How high should my trucks be?

When we talk about the height of a truck, we mean the distance between the baseplate and hanger. Or, to put it more simply, how far away are your wheels from your deck?

With skateboard trucks, there are three different heights: Low - 50 to 53 millimetre wheels, Mid - 53 to 56 millimetre wheels and High for bigger wheels.

Choose
the right height

The most stable

Low trucks are the most stable. This is particularly important for street and park skating A risk is the threat of the deck and wheels touching. This is called wheel bite when this happens, the board will stop abruptly- buying smaller wheels will reduce the risk. Low trucks can be used with riser pads, for slightly bigger wheels.

Pro Advice

To avoid wheel bites, I rub wax on the underside of my deck regularly.

Hias

Product Content

Chapter 3

The parts of a Skateboard Truck

Icons showing the different parts of a skateboard truck from the front as well as from the back

The trucks of a skateboard determine the behaviour of your board when you’re riding. The components of a skateboard truck are as follows: the Kingpin, the Baseplate, the Hanger and the Bushings.

The different
parts of a truck

The Kingpin is the large screw on which the bushings sit, which holds the hanger and baseplate together- very important! You can tighten the nut on the end of the kingpin. This, in turn, makes steering a little tighter. If you want a looser feeling, loosen the nut. You can experiment with different tightnesses until you find what works for your skating.

Independent trucks from above showing the kingpin screw

The rubber parts on the kingpin, are, with the tightness of the kingpin responsible for the steering of your skateboard. A harder rubber set of bushings (96A) is stiffer for a more responsive ride. A softer set of bushings (81A) is more forgiving.

Replacement bushings for skateboard trucks

Pro Advice

If you find that your bushings are too soft, I’d recommend that you get harder ones rather than tightening your kingpin screw. This can cause your bushings to burst and you’ll have to get new ones anyhow.

Hias

Product Content

Chapter 4

Accessories for Trucks

Different pads and screws allow you to adjust your skateboard setup to your preference.

If you use your additional pads, you will also need longer screws.

Bolt kits	Height of riser pads
7/8" to 1"	No pads needed
1" to 1 1/8"	1/8" riser
1 1/4"	1/4" riser
1 1/2"	1/2" riser

Riser
Pads and Hardware

Riser Pads
Skateboard Hardware

Riser pads are the plastic pads between the trucks and the deck. Complete skateboards come without them. However, you might need them if you want bigger wheels as the pads increase the height of your trucks.

There are two types of riser pads.

Riser Pads are made from hard plastic and increase the distance between the wheels and board to prevent wheel bite.
Shock Pads are made from rubber and absorb shock for a more comfortable ride and softer landings.