How to Assemble a Longboard: Step-by-Step

To assemble a longboard, mount the trucks to the deck with the kingpins facing each other, install bearings into the wheels with the shielded side facing inward, and attach the wheels to the trucks. A standard setup needs 8 screws, 8 nuts, 8 axle washers, and 4 lock nuts. The process changes for drop-through decks, which require full truck disassembly before mounting.

That hardware list isn’t a suggestion. It’s the exact count from Tactics.com’s assembly guide, and missing one washer is how you end up with a rattling baseplate on your third ride. The difference between a board that feels planted and one that chatters comes down to matching three things: the right tools, the correct sequence, and knowing where the official sources disagree on how to assemble a longboard.

What follows: the hardware you actually need, the one tool that does 90% of the job, the two conflicting ways to install bearings, and the step everyone skips when learning how to assemble a longboard that leads to wheel bite. By the end, you’ll be able to spot a mis-mounted truck from ten feet away and know exactly how tight to crank the final nut.

Key Takeaways

• A standard longboard setup requires 8 screws, 8 nuts, 8 axle washers, and 4 lock nuts — count them before you start.
• Reverse kingpin (RKP) trucks are the longboard standard; orient them so the bushings face inward and the pivot cup points toward the nose or tail.
• For drop-through decks, you must fully disassemble the truck to mount the baseplate from the top.
• Sources disagree on bearing orientation: Ghost Boards says unsealed sides face inward, while Motion Boardshop says shielded sides face inward.
• Final wheel nut tightness is a feel, not a torque: tighten until the wheel spins freely without side-to-side play.

The Standard Hardware Kit

Grab your deck, two trucks, four wheels, and eight bearings. Now, lay out the metal. You need eight screws, eight nuts, eight axle washers, and four lock nuts. That’s the exact count from Tactics.com’s assembly guide.

Forget that count, and you’ll be back at the hardware store before your first real session. I’ve done it. I built a board with spare parts once and was short two axle washers. The board rode fine for a week, then developed a faint, metallic buzz on every crack in the pavement. It wasn’t the bearings. It was the axle nut slowly chewing into the hanger because the missing washer left a gap.

Before you start: A wrench must adjust down to 3/8″ for truck nuts and kingpin nuts. Using a socket that’s too large will strip the soft aluminum, and a stripped kingpin means replacing the entire truck baseplate.

Ghost Boards specifies these sizes for a reason when you compare a how to assemble a longboard guide: a 9/16″ socket presses bearings without damaging the seal, a 1/2″ socket fits wheel nuts, and a 3/8″ socket fits truck nuts. Using the wrong size is how you mar your new bearings or round off a nut.

Truck Orientation: Getting It Right the First Time

Look at your trucks. If they’re the standard reverse kingpin (RKP) type—which Euroskateshop notes is the longboard standard—the kingpin angles away from the board’s center. The rule is simple: the bushings face inward, toward each other.

For a 50-degree pivot (reverse kingpin) truck, Ghost Boards advises the pivot point should point toward the front of the board. Get this backwards, and your board will turn left when you lean right. It’s disorienting, dangerous, and the fix requires taking everything apart.

Here’s a quick reference to keep it straight:

Truck Type	Bushing Orientation	Pivot Cup Direction
Reverse Kingpin (RKP)	Face inward	Points toward nose/tail
Traditional Kingpin (TK)	Face inward	Not applicable

Sources disagree on bushing washer orientation: Motion Boardshop uses a large flat washer under the barrel bushing and a smaller cupped washer above the cone bushing, while some riders (e.g., Reddit users) claim the hangars have a direction with the bigger cup facing out.

Mounting Trucks: Top-Mount vs. Drop-Through

This is where the process forks. For a standard top-mount deck, you just line up the baseplate holes with the deck’s mounting holes and screw it down. The real work starts with a drop-through deck.

Tactics.com is explicit: for drop-through mounting, you must disassemble your trucks. That means removing the kingpin nut, bushings, and the hanger itself. You then feed the baseplate through the deck from the top and secure it underneath with nuts. Only after the baseplates are secure do you re-attach the hangers, per Motion Boardshop’s guide.

Common mistake: Trying to mount a drop-through truck without taking it apart. You cannot squeeze the assembled hanger through the deck hole. Forcing it scratches your deck and stresses the truck’s pivot cup.

The reassembly order for the truck matters. Sources disagree on the exact stack. Here’s the conflict laid bare:

Source	Reassembly Order (Base to Top)
Tactics.com	Baseplate, washer, bushing, hanger, bushing, washer, kingpin nut.
Motion Boardshop	Barrel bushing and large flat washer first on kingpin, then hanger, then cone bushing (wide side to hanger), cupped washer, kingpin nut.

Both work. The Motion Boardshop method—with a flat washer under the barrel bushing—is common for many aftermarket bushing kits. The principle is the same: the bushings need to be compressed evenly. Once the kingpin nut is on, tighten it until the nut is flush with the top of the kingpin thread. Tighten the kingpin nut until it is flush with the top of the kingpin thread.

This is also the perfect time to install trucks if you’re switching from an old setup or upgrading. The process is identical whether you’re mounting them for the first time or remounting them.

Bearing Installation: Two Schools of Thought

Each wheel needs two bearings. Pop the axle nut and speed ring off the truck. Now, look at your bearings. If they’re sealed on both sides, orientation doesn’t matter. If one side is sealed and the other is open, you have a decision to make, and the manuals don’t agree.

Ghost Boards states: if bearings have only one sealed side, the unsealed side must face inward toward the wheel hub. The logic is to keep dirt and water out. Motion Boardshop instructs: place two bearings on the axle with the shielded side facing inward toward the truck. Their logic prioritizes protecting the bearing from grit thrown up by the wheel.

So, who’s right? It depends on your bearings and riding conditions. High-quality, sealed bearings like Zealous (which have built-in spacers) make the debate moot. For standard bearings in wet conditions, follow Ghost Boards. For dry, dusty pavement, Motion Boardshop’s method might offer a slight edge.

Bearing Type	Recommended Orientation	Reasoning
Single-shielded	Unsealed side faces wheel hub	Keeps debris from entering bearing (Ghost)
Single-shielded	Shielded side faces truck	Protects from road spray (Motion Boardshop)
Double-sealed / Zealous	Either way	Both sides are protected

Here’s the physical trick. Put a bearing on the axle. Take your wheel and press it straight down onto that bearing until it clicks into the hub. You’ll feel a solid thunk. Now, flip the wheel so the graphic faces out. Push the wheel against the second bearing still on the axle. It should slide on with firm pressure. Never hammer a bearing.

If you’re using LED wheels, like LED wheels (70mm, 78a), there’s an extra step. A magnet ring must be placed inside the wheel hub between the two bearings. This step is essential. For these, final tightness is unique: tighten the wheel nut only until the lights turn on and stay on while spinning. Stop there. Over-tightening crushes the magnet ring.

For standard wheels, the final step is the axle nut. Hand-tighten it, then use your 1/2″ socket. Tighten it all the way into the bearing, then back it off a quarter-turn until the wheel spins freely without lateral wobble. A wheel that’s too loose will vibrate; one that’s too tight will slow you down and overheat the bearings.

Learning to install bearings is a core maintenance skill. You’ll need to do it whenever you clean them or replace worn wheels.

Wheel Attachment and Final Adjustments

With bearings seated, slide the wheel onto the truck axle. You should feel the inner bearing race glide over the axle. Add the speed ring (a thin washer) and thread on the axle nut by hand first.

This is where feel beats torque specs. Spin the wheel. Now tighten the axle nut with your tool. Stop the moment you feel the slightest resistance in the wheel’s spin. You want zero side-to-side play, but the wheel must still spin freely for several seconds after you flick it. A binding wheel kills speed and wears out bearings in one session.

Now, stand on the board. Do a wheel bite check: lean hard into a turn, putting all your weight on one edge. Watch the space between the wheel and the deck. If the wheel touches the wood, you have wheel bite, which can throw you off. The fix is often harder bushings or smaller wheels. This test is more important than any bolt check.

Finally, go over every nut and bolt. The four nuts holding each truck baseplate should be firm. The kingpin nut should be flush with the kingpin. Give each wheel a final spin and listen. A quiet, smooth whir is good. A gritty grind or a clicking sound means a bearing isn’t seated right or is damaged.

This is also the time to tighten trucks to your preference. Looser trucks turn quicker but are less stable at speed. Tighter trucks are more stable but require more force to turn.

The Optional (But Recommended) Extras

The official guides from Tactics, Ghost Boards, and Motion Boardshop don’t list shock pads or risers as mandatory. Some riders recommend using shock pads under the trucks to protect the deck and absorb vibration.

Shock pads are thin, hard rubber spacers that go between the truck baseplate and the deck. They dampen vibration and, more importantly, prevent the metal baseplate from compressing the wood over time, which can lead to stress cracks. For a drop-through deck, they also protect the cutout’s edge. Are they essential? No. Are they cheap insurance for a $100+ deck? Absolutely.

Bearing spacers are another point of contention. Motion Boardshop recommends using them if you have them, noting Zealous bearings have them built-in. Some riders argue the benefits of bearing spacers are worth the extra cost and trouble. Spacers sit between the two bearings inside the wheel, ensuring they are perfectly aligned and sharing the load. They reduce bearing wear and can make wheels feel smoother. For a casual rider, they’re optional. For someone doing slides or high-speed runs, they’re a smart add-on.

Lastly, safety gear. Euroskateshop’s guide is blunt: at minimum, wear a helmet. Knee, elbow, and wrist protection are also recommended. This isn’t a suggestion. Your first fall is a question of when, not if. Wrist guards, in particular, are a beginner’s best friend. The small, plastic splints inside them are the difference between a scraped palm and a broken wrist that sidelines you for months.

Special Cases and Edge-Cons

Not every board follows the standard script. A Freebord 5X, with its caster wheel, has a completely different assembly. For the Freebord 5X caster wheel, the manufacturer notes the logo is designed to face inward for easier spinning, but facing it outward gives slightly more stability and makes presses easier. You choose based on your riding style.

The assembly steps also apply regardless of deck material. Ghost Boards confirms this: wood, carbon fiber, and aluminum decks assemble the same way. The mounting pattern and hardware don’t change.

If you ever need to swap parts or perform deep maintenance, knowing how to disassemble a longboard is the reverse of this process. It’s the same steps in reverse order: wheels off, trucks off, bearings out.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tools do I need to assemble a longboard?

You need a skate tool with 3/8″, 1/2″, and 9/16″ sockets. A 3/8″ socket or wrench is for truck nuts, a 1/2″ socket is for wheel nuts, and a 9/16″ socket is for pressing bearings without damage. A screwdriver for the hardware is also helpful.

Which way do longboard trucks face?

The kingpins (the big bolt with the bushings) should face inward, toward each other. For reverse kingpin (RKP) trucks, the pivot cup on the hanger should point toward the front of the board on the front truck, and toward the tail on the rear truck.

How tight should longboard wheels be?

Tighten the axle nut until all side-to-side play is gone, then stop as soon as the wheel spins freely. A properly tightened wheel will spin for several seconds when flicked and will have no audible rubbing or grinding. Over-tightening creates friction and damages bearings.

Do I need bearing spacers?

For casual cruising, bearing spacers are optional but beneficial. They align the bearings inside the wheel hub, distributing load evenly and extending bearing life. For downhill riding or frequent sliding, they are highly recommended. Some premium bearings, like Zealous, have spacers built in.

What is a drop-through longboard?

Drop-through longboard has holes cut through the deck where the truck baseplates mount. This “drops” the deck closer to the ground, lowering the center of gravity for increased stability. Assembling it requires fully disassembling the truck to mount the baseplate from the top of the deck.

The Bottom Line

Assembling a longboard is less about strength and more about precision. The difference between a reliable setup and a problematic one lives in the details everyone glosses over: counting the hardware, respecting the drop-through disassembly, and finding that sweet spot for wheel nut tightness.

If you take away one thing, let it be this: test for wheel bite before you ever hit a hill. Lean until the deck tilts at an angle you’d never actually ride at. If the wheel touches, your first hard carve could be your last for the season. That check takes ten seconds and costs nothing.

Most guides end with “go ride.” I’ll add a clause: go ride, but listen. A new board talks. A faint buzz is a loose washer. A gritty hum is a dry bearing. A wobble at speed is often loose truck hardware. Your first session isn’t just for fun; it’s the final quality inspection.