Maybe grade 9 instead of grade 8? I’ll see what’s available. Your earlier comment about kingpin orientation makes sense too. Another advantage of having them orientated the other way is you can see if everything is tight with just a visual inspection. With kingpins the way they are now you only know by putting a wrench on the bolt head since there’s no nylock nut to check. I’ll see if apex baseplates and kingpins fit these hangers
Is it possible to enlarge the kingpin holes on the apex baseplates? There are some trucks like the don’t trip poppy xl that use 1/2” thick kingpin instead of 3/8” . That would be amazing for esk8 , maybe @idea can make them like this from the factory
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The Apex ones have a recessed channel on the top side of the baseplate that hides the bolt heads. It would have to be cut wider and then the passthrough holes bored out for the larger bolt. The Idea baseplate might be easier to change but then you need bigger spherical bearings. Finding a more durable 3/8 bolt might be my best bet.
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I think finding a harder kingpin, maybe made from a stronger alloy or higher-grade steel – would be a much simpler solution than modifying the hanger.
If you modify the hanger, you’d need to find a larger spherical bearing to fit the new setup. On top of that, you’re weakening the hanger’s structure by removing material. So even if the kingpin itself ends up being stronger, the hanger might not be — and that could become the weak point instead.
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Any suggestions on what type of bolt to replace them with?
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I’m not a material expert, but I might look into titanium bolts if they’re available. I’m not huge on titanium, but I think they’re supposed to be more resistant to just snapping like steel sometimes does. I’m not sure if harder is actually better here. It could mean more durable, but it could also mean more prone to just snapping. I’d rather end up with a bent kingpin than a snapped one, but obviously neither are ideal.
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I think the best option would be to use the hardest kingpin available, for example a 12.9 grade bolt.
These have a tensile strength of about 1220 MPa, which makes them one of the hardest standard bolts commonly available.
Kingpin types (bolt grades):
| Grade | Material / Treatment | Tensile Strength | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.8 | Hardened carbon steel | approx. 800 MPa | Standard in many trucks |
| 10.9 | Alloy steel, quenched and tempered | approx. 1040 MPa | Much stronger and harder |
| 12.9 | High-strength alloy steel | approx. 1220 MPa | One of the hardest standard bolts commonly available |
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Doesn’t ARP make some of the strongest fasteners with the least stretch, for head bolts and such on HP race engines? Maybe we could get them to make Kingpins for Esk8
While that is true for pure strength, kingpins generally fail from fatigue, and I’d personally try my luck with 10.9 as it has a bit better fatigue resistance than 12.9.
Tbh I’m also on the opinion that we should move up to 12mm kingpins though…
Technically titanium offers better fatigue resistance and is just shy of steel in strength, might also be worth a try
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How about a bolt made from spring steel? Spring steel is made to handle repeated deflection without fatigue.
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Need more info about this!
https://forum.esk8.news/t/pictures-and-nothing-else/30415/19903
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Nice haul. Also that is the tallest grinder I have ever seen.
Right!
I’ve been ordering a bunch of stuff from mBoards lately and they hooked me up with these awesome glasses with my last order — real bamboo and carbon fiber. Coolest surprise ever.
Also, was that silver piece you saw that looked like the grinder? If so, that’s a bolt-on pulley from Hoyt to replace the ugly Kegel ones I have on the mini board.
Stoked with how nice these are. Really wish Hoyt and Metroboard could have survived — everything I’ve ever had from them has been so damn nice.
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This may not be a bad idea. The stresses being placed on trucks nowadays is greater than ever. A larger diameter kingpin should be much stronger than current kingpins. Riptide chubby bushings could be used with a larger kingpin. Only the center holes needs to be larger. I might be interested in taking a crack at this.
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