Hitting your head gives you suspension ideas.

Kiwy · Post by **Kiwy** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:33 am

I hit some gas pipe yesterday and damaged my top hanger.

Thus came the idea to make a top hanger that would allow your kingpin and bearings to slide up and down. Suspension comes from your springs. Just turn the circle that houses the truck bearing into an oval.

It's flawed but at least it's something simple, that people smarter than me might be able to use.

BgSurfer · Post by **BgSurfer** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:30 am

Kiwy wrote:I hit some gas pipe yesterday and damaged my top hanger.

Thus came the idea to make a top hanger that would allow your kingpin and bearings to slide up and down. Suspension comes from your springs. Just turn the circle that houses the truck bearing into an oval.

It's flawed but at least it's something simple, that people smarter than me might be able to use.

I like the simplicity of it.

Don't know if you have enough height above the bearing for a lot of shock absorbing.

Interesting concept just the same.

indigo_wolf · Post by **indigo_wolf** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:46 am

Depending on specifically which truck set you are talking about, I am not sure how well that would work. If it is something like the Matrix trucks, changing the truck bearing seat into an oval might possibly increase the scenarios where the tophats on the truck wouldn't have enough tension to keep them seated.

I am also leery of anything that drastically changes the truck design because if a company goes away or changes direction parts availabilty becomes an issue.

There is also the question of how much suspension travel would have been sufficient to avoid the damage you suffered.

Do you have any pictures of the damage?

I would be more inclined to think that something that changed the undercarriage profile so that it deflected the impact and guided your board onto the grind plate would have a better chance at success. Any such changes would also have to modify the profile inboard of the trucks too. Otherwise your front trucks would have cleared the obstruction only to have your rear trucks become to worlds most efficient brakes.

ATB,
Sam

mario64 · Post by **mario64** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:50 am

so a hanger like this?

Kiwy · Post by **Kiwy** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:59 am

indigo_wolf wrote:Do you have any pictures of the damage?

I would be more inclined to think that something that changed the undercarriage profile so that it deflected the impact and guided your board onto the grind plate would have a better chance at success. Any such changes would also have to modify the profile inboard of the trucks too. Otherwise your front trucks would have cleared the obstruction only to have your rear trucks become to worlds most efficient brakes.

ATB,
Sam

Right you are. my rear truck was damaged. it was a 30 cm pipe hidden in grass.one of my springs popped out and the circle that housed the kingpin bearing is now an oval. I use the plastic hangers from MBS. This happened only with the inward shape. I'll take a photo when i get home.

mario64 wrote:so a hanger like this?

Yes like that's what i had in mind. thank you.

mario64 · Post by **mario64** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:29 am

This is it with the axle.

Brennig · Post by **Brennig** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:33 am

I'm working on suspension trucks at the moment, hopefully I'll have some built in a few weeks, if they're good enough I might consider producing a few for sale. Just starting to buy in some materials.

mario64 · Post by **mario64** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:34 am

have you got a workshop?

Brennig · Post by **Brennig** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:40 am

Nope, I've only got a drill, all I need is a circular saw which I'm sure someone will let me borrow.

mario64 · Post by **mario64** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:12 am

cool, have you made a wooden prototype yet, to test the concept?

Brennig · Post by **Brennig** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:17 am

I would, if I had a circular saw ... I've made some from business cards, envelopes, ikea pencils, foamboard and the lot. I've also spent a good amount of time making a model on SketchUp.

mario64 · Post by **mario64** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:19 am

can't you use a normal hand saw to saw the wood?
And let's see some pics

Brennig · Post by **Brennig** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:21 am

mario64 wrote:can't you use a normal hand saw to saw the wood?
And let's see some pics

I would if I had one .... I'm keeping the pics back until I start building. And I don't want to hijack this thread.

Wyoming Adrenaline Junkie · Post by **Wyoming Adrenaline Junkie** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:42 am

i don't get how it would work though, wouldn't the kingpin just sit on the bottom since theres constant pressure being applied to it? how many millimeters of space would there be?

Brennig · Post by **Brennig** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:43 am

Wyoming Adrenaline Junkie wrote:i don't get how it would work though, wouldn't the kingpin just sit on the bottom since theres constant pressure being applied to it? how many millimeters of space would there be?

When you stand on the board you'll compress the springs and it should sit around the middle depending how well it's designed. The springs push the hanger and axle apart and your body weight pushes them together.

Wyoming Adrenaline Junkie · Post by **Wyoming Adrenaline Junkie** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:45 am

is there a spring in that diagram?

Wyoming Adrenaline Junkie · Post by **Wyoming Adrenaline Junkie** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:46 am

Kiwy wrote:I hit some gas pipe yesterday and damaged my top hanger.

Thus came the idea to make a top hanger that would allow your kingpin and bearings to slide up and down. Suspension comes from your springs. Just turn the circle that houses the truck bearing into an oval.

It's flawed but at least it's something simple, that people smarter than me might be able to use.

btw how bad did you hit your head?

Brennig · Post by **Brennig** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:53 am

Using springs just like on your trucks.

Wyoming Adrenaline Junkie · Post by **Wyoming Adrenaline Junkie** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:54 am

oh alright so instead of just empty space it would be a spring?

Kiwy · Post by **Kiwy** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 12:35 pm

Wyoming Adrenaline Junkie wrote:btw how bad did you hit your head?

It felt like landing on a pillow. I was going through tall grass on crematorium hill.
It's a newbie hill for bikers with a very bad reputation.Half the bikers that try that hill end up hurting themselves or destroying their bikes. 5 or 6 years ago paramedics had to make regular rounds there to pick up someone's teeth.

It's called that way because at the top there's an old crematory and at the bottom a park alley.
Guess I wasn't lucky either.

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Hitting your head gives you suspension ideas.

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