Good point
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“Fragile” is definitely the wrong word tho
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You found a single issue of wrong assembly by the customer. Try again.
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If Moe doesn’t get royalties (edit: swap royalties for credit, a simple “Inspired by the 3link truck design created by SRB we’ve created the…” would suffice to me” on this zero respect for newbee or meepo.
Limiting the motion using the rods and putting the axel in line with the bushing are core to his design.
I see some cool possible improvements in the design and I’m not against seeing new versions of 3links from other brands but credit is due here.
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It sucks but thats how business works, especially in the modern world of designs being very easy to replicate overseas. Royalties are pretty much unheard of for something like this. Something to note is they have very different customer bases, I can’t imagine the last time someone had a stooge and a meepo on a comparison table, the trucks are just one part of a board and I don’t think meepo, in particular, will have a notable impact on his business, newbie maybe. It sucks for the domestic small business but this has been the same story for the past 20 years and longer, ultimitley it will force innovation and the better product will come out on top, I have a really hard time imagining that meepo will be the better product though, they don’t have the same understanding of a race board that stooge has by a mile and they can copy the design all they want but the customer personalization, support, and quality will almost certainly never compare.
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got any more pics? cause the one in the instagram post half covered looks nearly exactly the same as the meepo patent… thus my original questions.
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If Ethan wants to share more I’m sure he will.
But after the outcry of hate he probably won’t lol
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that’s changing right now. 
FTFY… 
Post the pics please.
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This isn’t really the solution I was hoping for. A universal mount pattern (22mm²) would be more ideal. For me, the threaded rod system just doesn’t do it. That much is personal preference.
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I don’t have any pics but I wouldn’t post them if I did haha
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ok, i was shared in private some photos. and can say that the top portions of the truck do look distinctly different from the meepo patent.
Thanks.
no worries. someone helped me out.
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Yup
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Affordable 3-link trucks, Im down.
Stooge 3 links are 800 euros shipped here including customs etc.
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Im always open to innovation in the space. shrug
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patents ≠ innovation
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It was not a “wrong assembly by the customer”. The initial failure happened before I had so mich as touched any of the parts that did. Sure, my mental model about how the clamps worked in combination with the cross screw was incorrect at the time due to a misunderstanding about the order of operations during assembly, however that does not change the fact that the trucks failed as they came assembled. I’ve reassembled them since then and used loctite (which I believe was not applied as stock) and they’ve been fine.
Aside from that issue, I would say that the standalone trucks are still pretty fragile. The hanger itself is very strong, however the whole radius rod mounting assembly is extremely susceptible to bending in even very low speed impacts on a heavy board. I’ve bent the sheet metal bracket several times by accedentally letting my 50 lb board hit the curb at 3 mph. These were not serious failures, but they are avoidable with a better baseplate design like the one Idea is making rn.
I’ve also had the radius rod collars brake through the shallow slots they are placed in when one wheel of my board impacted a curb causing the trucks to turn forcefully. All the heim joints used are more than strong enough to withstand this kind of collision, but the surrounding structure has some significant weak points.
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Are the trucks flimsy garbage? Absolutely not. The hanger, radius rods, and ball joints are all steel and very robust. There are just some aspects of the design of the way it’s all tied together which is less than ideal. I can understand why the trucks are designed the way they are, I would just have made different trade offs if I was doing it myself.
I have no data nor statistical analysis to back up this claim, I’m just basing my statements on my own personal experience using and repairing my HD 3 links.
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