Suspensions of longboard trucks

There are many longboard harness manufacturers on the market today, and they offer a huge range of harnesses for all riding styles and a wide variety of styles and designs.

Most often, there are two types of suspensions on longboards: traditional ( TKP from the English traditional kingpin ) and reversible ( RKP from the English reverse kingpin ).

Traditional:

Traditional harnesses are used in skateboarding, slalom and small cruisers. Their characteristic feature is that the central bolt (Engl. Kingpin ) directed inwardly with respect to the suspension hangers (Engl. Hanger ).

These suspensions are more stable and have a wider turning radius. But at high speeds they are more susceptible to rocking (wobbling), due to which control over the board is lost.

Reversible:

For reversible hangers, the kingpin, on the contrary, is directed outward relative to the hanger.

Such pendants are much more common on longboards. They have a wide range of tuning options and combine good stability with excellent maneuverability. Here you can even change the angle of the suspension. 

What is it for, you ask? Everything is very simple! The tilt angle of the suspension directly affects its stability and maneuverability while riding. The smaller the angle, the more stability, but less maneuverability and vice versa. So, for example, for downhill pendants with an inclination angle of 45 degrees, or even less, are used. And for carving, on the contrary, with an angle of 50 degrees, or higher.

The width of the hanger also affects these two parameters: stability and maneuverability. It is measured in inches or millimeters. Downhill pendants have hanger widths from 180 mm and more, and for carving - from 120 to 180 mm. Universal pendants are 150-186mm (9-10 inches) wide and 50-52 degrees inclined.

Longboard pendants are divided into two classes:

·         Precision trucks (PT)

·         Cast trucks (CT)

Precision trucks:

Precision trucks are manufactured from high quality materials such as aviation aluminum or titanium on special CNC machines (from the English CNC - computer numerical control ). Such suspensions have an almost perfect shape, significantly less weight and a finer tuning system. But their significant disadvantage is their high price.

Cast trucks:

Cast trucks in turn, are made from simple powdered aluminum in a cheaper way forging or stamping. The price of such pendants is significantly lower, so they are more common in the longboard market.

Almost all longboards sold with standard suspension and the bushings (Eng. BUSHING ) including. Bushings are urethane spacers worn on the top and bottom of the hanger on the kingpin. Bushings have different stiffness, height, diameter and shape - barrels, cones, portholes. And when adjusting the stiffness by tightening and loosening the nut on the center bolt becomes insufficient, riders begin to change the bushings on their board to suit their weight and riding style. 

Almost all pendants have a pivot cap - this is a plastic cap located in the base where the hanger is inserted.

Pivot caps are needed to prevent metal from rubbing against metal during riding and swinging the suspension. Pivot caps, depending on the manufacturer, come in different widths. Typically 8-10 mm. It often happens that over time there is a creak when the suspension turns. This problem is solved by lubricating or replacing the pivot caps.

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