Hey what's up. this is Tim with Tactics,
and today I'm gonna show you how to assemble your skateboard.
If you still need to grip your deck go ahead and check out our how to grip a deck video first.
If you have a skate tool with a screw driver, then that's the only tool you'll need.
If you don't have a skate tool, the tools you'll need are:
A 3/8 inch or a 10 mm wrench for the hardware.
A 1/2 inch or 13 mm wrench for the axle nuts.
And in 9/16 or 14 mm wrench in case you want to adjust the tightness of the trucks after you get it all together.
You could also use a monkey wrench or a vise grip.
You'll also need a Philips head screw driver
unless you have Allen hardware, then you'll need a 1/8 inch Allen wrench.
Also if you have a power drill, it'll make the process a whole lot faster. So if you have one use it.
Go ahead and take everything out of the packaging and let's get started.
We're gonna put the trucks on first. So let's start by putting the hardware through the holes.
Usually I put 4 pieces through then place my hand on the top and flip the board
using my palm to keep the hardware from falling out the bottom.
Then I can use my other hand to put the truck on the bolts and finger tighten the nuts onto the bolts.
If you're going to use risers put them on first before putting on the truck.
And be sure your hardware is long enough to reach through the deck, riser, and baseplate
with enough threads sticking out to put the nut on.
When you're putting the trucks on the rule of thumb is to always put the pivot cup to the outside.
Even with reverse kingpin trucks.
If you follow that rule you'll never accidentally put your trucks on backwards.
To tighten the hardware,
you'll need to use the screwdriver and the wrench at the same time on both sides.
Because if you don't well, it's just gonna spin in place.
Tighten the bolts till they're flush with the top of the deck.
Don't over tighten the bolts or they'll start to dig into the top side and can cause
pressure cracks to form along the underside of the deck
which can cause the deck to lose some of its pop.
Do the same exact steps for the next truck.
It should be a little easier this time because the board can stand on its side on its own.
Next we have to put the bearings into the wheels.
Set the board up on its side and take off one of the axle nuts with your 1/2 inch wrench.
Take one of the little speed washers off the axle and set it off to the side for now.
Take two of your bearings and put them onto the axle with the shield's facing down.
Then set the wheel on top of the bearings.
Using your palms, press down with equal pressure on both sides of the wheel
until the bearing slides fully into the slot on the wheel.
This can be kind of difficult sometimes depending on the hardness of the wheel.
I like getting directly above the board and using my body weight to press down on the wheel.
Once the first bearing is in, flip the wheel over to put in the next bearing.
And if your bearings came with any spacers now's the time to put them on if you want to use them.
Press down on the second bearing and there you go.
If you need to remove a bearing you can use the truck axle to pry it out.
Just slide the wheel and bearing about 1/2 an inch on to the axle then twist the wheel upward and pry it out.
This sometimes takes a lot of effort depending on the wheel, but just keep at it and it will dislodge eventually.
Put that little speed washer that you set off to the side earlier back on the axle on top of the bearing.
These washers are there to provide a buffer between the hanger and the axle nut
so that the bearing can spin freely without getting pinched on the sides.
Now put on the axle nut and tighten it down with your 1/2 inch wrench.
If you're using a skate tool to tighten the axle nuts
try to keep it level while you're tightening it. Because if it angles too far from one side to the other
it can potentially crush the shields on the sides of your bearings which will make it a lot slower.
Give the wheel a little wiggle. There should be a tiny bit of wiggle room for the wheel to spin freely.
If the wheel doesn't move at all, then the nut is too tight.
If the wheel shifts up and down a lot the nut is too loose
and the board is going to shift underneath your feet while you ride it.
Get it to where you can feel a slight wiggle, but it's barely visible.
Now just repeat those same steps for the rest of the wheels, and you're done.
Your board's ready to go. Let's go skate!
If you got any questions, comments, tips of your own, leave them down below
or just give us a call and we'll help you out.