Skateboard Assembly
WHEEL ASSEMBLY AND MOUNTING
To correctly install your wheels on to your trucks, you will need a ½” nut driver.
The hardest part of assembling wheels is getting the bearings into the wheel. Bearings have a delicate shield that must not be broken. This can be done by using a skate tool, or simply by using your trucks as a tool. The following is a guide to wheel assembly without a skate tool.
There are two bearings per wheel. Some bearings come with spacers. Place one of the bearing on the truck axle; drop the wheel, followed by the spacer (if provided). Press the bearing into the wheel using the leverage between your hand and the truck. Repeat for the other bearing.
After all four wheels have the bearings properly installed; place them on the axle of the truck. Most trucks come with two thin washers for each wheel. The purpose of the washers is to minimize friction. These washers are to be place on either side of the wheel. (Top it all off with a nylon inserted ½ inch lock nut). Tighten the lock nut to its fullest, and then back the nut off giving your wheel room to rotate freely.
TRUCK MOUNTING
This step requires an optional power drill, or a Phillips screwdriver or allen wrench (depending on the hard ware), and a 3/8” nut driver.
The first thing you need to do is to poke holes in the grip tape for the screws to fit through. This can be done with anything that can fit through the hole provided on the board. Place the screws into the holes you just made making sure that the heads of the screws are on the grip side of the board. Continue until all screws are in place. If your custom board has risers, place them on the bottom side of the board on the bolt ends. Follow the risers with trucks. Position trucks, making sure to place the kingpin and the bushings facing the middle of the board. If you trucks are installed backwards, the board will turn the opposite way from which the skater desires. Secure the base of the trucks to the board by placing the nylon locknuts and tightening them down with the screwdriver, power drill, or allen wrench. When tightening the bolts, place the 3/8” nut driver on the locknuts holding them in place.
BEFORE YOU RIDE
Make sure to check over the deck after assembly to make sure all of the nuts and bolts are where they should be. This is a good habit to form before every session. Sometimes, when a board is brand new and you place the board on a flat surface, the wheels will not sit flat at the same time. This is normal, and the problem will remedy itself once the board has been ridden. Another problem you may face is that new wheels don’t spin very freely. This can be fixed by loosening the bolts at the end of the axels that are holding the wheels in place. Make sure not to loosen them too much…having them fall off while skating would not be an enjoyable experience. If you are having problems turning, simply adjust the truck kingpin nut (9/16”). In doing so, you can choose how the board turns. Loosening the kingpin causes the truck to turn more freely…tightening makes the truck turn less. Do not rush this process. It may take time getting the board to ride the way you desire. (Having a skate tool handy is a great way to adjust your board while riding.) |
