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How to Loose Longboard Trucks Quick and Easy - Step by Step Guide

How to lose longboard trucks

Want to make your longboarding ride a little extra exciting by learning how to lose longboard trucks?

You might be wondering how it would help?

Well, we have got it all covered!

To make the ride exciting and worthy, you must know how to cruise your way through with the help of longboards,

Similarly, if you want to excel at cruising, riding, or even learning some skills, you must know all the necessary tips to keep the longboarding running.

So, to make your turns a bit more exciting and sharper, you should loosen your longboard trucks. Likewise, if you want lesser turns and keep it tightened, you must not consider loosening trucks.

All of that depends on you!

But whether loose or tight, the thing to be figured out is what exactly are these longboard trucks?

Longboard trucks:

Longboard trucks are metallic t shaped pieces attached to the underside beneath the longboard.

Longboard has two trucks attached to each side of it, underneath the board.

One to the rear end and the other to the front end of the board with the wheels.

Their key function is to make the turns much smoother and comfortable.

Loosening the longboard trucks makes this easier because tighter trucks may not offer as smooth turns as loosen ones.

Parts of the longboard trucks:

The trucks of longboards consist of several different parts, including

you must know a little about the parts of the trucks

Axle

The axle is a long pin that is attached to the hanger

Hanger:

The hanger is the biggest piece of the longboard truck supporting the axle.

Kingpin:

Kingpin is basically a bolt that is placed inside the bushings and the axle allowing the truck to hold together.

Bushings:

The bushings are urethane rings that fit around the kingpin, allowing the board to make turns swiftly.

Types of trucks:

As numerous types of trucks are available, choosing the right direction and kind of truck is an important task.

Reverse kingpin truck

Traditional kingpin truck

1. Reverse kingpin trucks:

Reverse kingpins are generally taller than the traditional ones.

Unlike the traditional ones, the kingpins face the opposite direction in the reverse kingpin trucks.

As for the shape of the reverse kingpin trucks, they make carving a lot easier and comfortable.

2. Traditional kingpin trucks:

In traditional kingpin trucks, the kingpins are facing towards each other.

Traditional kingpin trucks provide a slightly less carvy and stiffer feel than reverse kingpins trucks.

Now that we know the types of trucks & kingpins required for our longboards,

We will look further into why we need to loosen our trucks on the longboard.

TIPS: Replacing a broken kingpin:

Replacing a broken kingpin is not an easy task.

To replace a broken kingpin, you must first remove the trucks from your longboard because the kingpin might have got stuck between the trucks.

To remove the kingpin from the trucks, you must use a hammer or a tool to tap and remove the broken kingpin.

Then you may insert a screwdriver inside the base to dismantle it into pieces.

Lastly, you may add the new kingpins and replace the broken ones.

Why do we need to lose longboard trucks?

Our initial requirement is to get a smooth and comfortable feel while riding on the longboard.

For that to achieve, we must know whether we want our trucks to be tightened or loosened.

With loosened trucks, it gets smoother to make turns and curves with ease.

If you wish to a steep downhill cruise, you must keep your trucks on the loosened side.

So, therefore, loosening trucks will make our cruising much more exciting and smoother.

All of it depends on the rider’s preference,

 and some are comfortable with stiffer trucks while others may enjoy loosened trucks.

Step by step guide on how to lose longboard trucks

These are the few basic yet easy steps to be considered.

Tool/socket wrench:

To lose the longboard trucks,

the first thing you need is a wrench or a tool that may fix accurately into the fitting of the trucks.

You can use a socket wrench or an adjustable wrench.

Both are helpful tools to have.

On average, the most suitable wrench must be around 14mm wrench.

Other tools can also be beneficial, like pliers to lose the trucks.

Preparation of the trucks:

Preparing the longboard before loosening the trucks is essential.

For that, what you need to do is:

Keep the longboard over a stable surface or a table

Place the longboard upside down

The trucks and board should be facing upward

Starting with the tools & wrench:

Now that you have placed your longboard over a flat and stable surface, you must begin with getting your tools in hand.

What you need to do with the wrench is

Place the wrench on the nut.

Unscrewing:

After you have placed the wrench on the nut,

It would be best if you began by loosening the first longboard truck.

To lose the first longboard truck, you need to turn the wrench counter-clockwise direction.

It would help if you lost the truck as per your requirement.

Keep in mind that you don’t squeeze the bushing during this process.

After loosening the first truck, you must begin with the second one.

You must repeat the same procedure as done with the first truck.

Keep one thing in mind that you must keep the looseness in the balance of both the trucks.

Otherwise, your longboard may feel a little off-balance.

Testing the balance of both trucks:

To test the balance of both trucks,

you must tap the trucks to check whether they are too loose because they might fall off the longboard.

Just make sure you keep the looseness in accordance with your comfort and requirement.

The trucks on your longboard must not be either too tight or too loose.

Validating & configuring:

Lastly, all you need to do now is validate and configure your longboard trucks.

How to do that is by standing onto the longboard to check whether you have achieved the desired outcome.

By standing on and moving the longboard, it will be helpful for you to figure out and adjust the trucks then accordingly.

Points to ponder!

Deck lean:

While you make turns on the longboard, the deck slightly shifts on the side, determining the deck lean.

The deck lean depends on the tightness or the looseness of the trucks.

The tighter the trucks, the lesser the lean, similarly the looser the trucks, the leaner it is.

Height of the truck:

The truck’s height is a crucial part of determining the lean of the deck as well.

Taller trucks and higher deck height will allow the deck to be leaner.

Lower trucks and deck height will make the deck slightly less lean.

Low height and deck lean are suitable for downhill riding,

but it ultimately depends on the rider to make it comfortable and adjust according to their preference.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

The process of how to lose longboard trucks is effortless and straightforward.

It just all depends on the preference of the rider to adjust accordingly.

We’ve made sure that you know the outcomes of each procedure, either tight or loose.

But for you to make the most of longboard riding, all of the mentioned information would be very useful.

You need to keep the safety precautions in mind while riding longboard as well as loosening or tightening the trucks.

How to lose longboard trucks