Truck set ups, less popular brands edition

[rocklobster]

Had my first session on Mini Logo trucks and like everyone here has said: excellent value for the price but not groundbreaking.

First time riding a truck that shortens the wheelbase (+2.75") and coming off Venture cast (+3.25") the first hour was pretty hairy. Quite a bit of lean before the turn but when they do turn it was really sharp and I didn't have to tick tack at the edge of the park. No wheelbite despite the low height. A touch heavier than I would like at 363g which is close to a Venture 5.6 Std, a hollow kingpin variant would be a nice upgrade.

Can't comment on the pinch yet since the slight drizzle was making me paranoid about skating the ledge but for straight on 50-50s they felt adequate. Metal felt hard-ish, between a Indy and a Venture.

Was tempted to fit my worn in Bones Medium got lazy and stuck with stock which had me pleasantly surprised. First push down the asphalt road felt close to 80% broken in and by an hour in it felt right as rain. I normally ride loose-ish on Ventures but these at factory tightness were great.

The pop feel took the longest to adjust to coming from hefty pop truck. Way less ghost pop and a it helped "lengthen" the deck I was riding which was shorter than I usually like.

Overall, very impressed and would stick on them till the new Royal trucks are available in my neck of the woods. Or until Venture decides to do a 5.6 V-Hollow Lo.

Follow up on the ML trucks, liking the twitchy turn and feel of the grind. The lowered truck height helps me feel more stable and this has caused me to skate ledges / rails much faster than usual. Lowered height really helps for tricks I'm not 100% confident with, like Smith grinds.

Shortened WB on these trucks too some getting used to, but I'm finding the foot placement after 3 or so sessions. I've had to widen my stance and apply my more pressure of my front foot to counter the tippiness of the deck.

2 things that could be improved would be:
1) beefier baseplate that sticks out slightly further, the flat edge that makes contact with the ledge is slanted inwards, so you dont' get that satisfying baseplate slide
2) while the stock bushings provide a good turn, they don't flex enough during grinds to get a solid pinch. Thinking about swapping them out to Bones Mediums. If anyone's had experience with that I would love to hear your experience.

[Xen]

Did anybody ever get an inverted kingpin to work with mini logos? Baseplate seems to be the worst for it.
No experience at all with IKP, would the new krux DLK pins fit?

I love these trucks for everything except smith grinds

Yes and no, I tried multiple types of epoxies/jb welds/etc. The cavity is just so big, and smooth as hell for anything to grip well; nut would come loose in a matter of hours (slappies and impact) using 'steel' epoxy, which eventually would just crumble.

The best luck was with Gorilla brand 5min epoxy, but you have to do fill the entire plate cavity, so that when it comes loose (which it will) it's still big enough and secured that won't move around  (and you can still tighten or loosen).

[goodatmeth]

That sucks, but gave me the idea to 3d print (metal) parts that can hold the nuts for ikps in every baseplate

[layzieyez]

Did anybody ever get an inverted kingpin to work with mini logos? Baseplate seems to be the worst for it.
No experience at all with IKP, would the new krux DLK pins fit?

I love these trucks for everything except smith grinds

One of my favorite things about these trucks is my reflex tool fit underneath and made it easy to tighten the inverted kingpins.  I'm not sure about other skate tools or sockets but it worked perfectly for me.

[rosemaryBB]

That sucks, but gave me the idea to 3d print (metal) parts that can hold the nuts for ikps in every baseplate

That's legit a great idea

[goodatmeth]

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Did anybody ever get an inverted kingpin to work with mini logos? Baseplate seems to be the worst for it.
No experience at all with IKP, would the new krux DLK pins fit?

I love these trucks for everything except smith grinds

[close]

One of my favorite things about these trucks is my reflex tool fit underneath and made it easy to tighten the inverted kingpins.  I'm not sure about other skate tools or sockets but it worked perfectly for me.

So you just tighten once, somehow get it perfect and never adjust again? Sounds dreamy

[Movies]

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Had my first session on Mini Logo trucks and like everyone here has said: excellent value for the price but not groundbreaking.

First time riding a truck that shortens the wheelbase (+2.75") and coming off Venture cast (+3.25") the first hour was pretty hairy. Quite a bit of lean before the turn but when they do turn it was really sharp and I didn't have to tick tack at the edge of the park. No wheelbite despite the low height. A touch heavier than I would like at 363g which is close to a Venture 5.6 Std, a hollow kingpin variant would be a nice upgrade.

Can't comment on the pinch yet since the slight drizzle was making me paranoid about skating the ledge but for straight on 50-50s they felt adequate. Metal felt hard-ish, between a Indy and a Venture.

Was tempted to fit my worn in Bones Medium got lazy and stuck with stock which had me pleasantly surprised. First push down the asphalt road felt close to 80% broken in and by an hour in it felt right as rain. I normally ride loose-ish on Ventures but these at factory tightness were great.

The pop feel took the longest to adjust to coming from hefty pop truck. Way less ghost pop and a it helped "lengthen" the deck I was riding which was shorter than I usually like.

Overall, very impressed and would stick on them till the new Royal trucks are available in my neck of the woods. Or until Venture decides to do a 5.6 V-Hollow Lo.

[close]

Follow up on the ML trucks, liking the twitchy turn and feel of the grind. The lowered truck height helps me feel more stable and this has caused me to skate ledges / rails much faster than usual. Lowered height really helps for tricks I'm not 100% confident with, like Smith grinds.

Shortened WB on these trucks too some getting used to, but I'm finding the foot placement after 3 or so sessions. I've had to widen my stance and apply my more pressure of my front foot to counter the tippiness of the deck.

2 things that could be improved would be:
1) beefier baseplate that sticks out slightly further, the flat edge that makes contact with the ledge is slanted inwards, so you dont' get that satisfying baseplate slide
2) while the stock bushings provide a good turn, they don't flex enough during grinds to get a solid pinch. Thinking about swapping them out to Bones Mediums. If anyone's had experience with that I would love to hear your experience.

I've messed around with Mini Logos quite a bit, and my favourite bushing set-up is to keep the stock bottom, and replace the top with a bones medium or hard (medium for 8', hard for 8.38"). I think it makes the return to centre a bit snappier and smith grinds become a little easier with the flat washer on there.

The baseplate has never bugged me except for the star imprint. It's pretty deep and doesn't grind off as quickly as the old Indy ones. Totally petty I know.

[Beeker]

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Had my first session on Mini Logo trucks and like everyone here has said: excellent value for the price but not groundbreaking.

First time riding a truck that shortens the wheelbase (+2.75") and coming off Venture cast (+3.25") the first hour was pretty hairy. Quite a bit of lean before the turn but when they do turn it was really sharp and I didn't have to tick tack at the edge of the park. No wheelbite despite the low height. A touch heavier than I would like at 363g which is close to a Venture 5.6 Std, a hollow kingpin variant would be a nice upgrade.

Can't comment on the pinch yet since the slight drizzle was making me paranoid about skating the ledge but for straight on 50-50s they felt adequate. Metal felt hard-ish, between a Indy and a Venture.

Was tempted to fit my worn in Bones Medium got lazy and stuck with stock which had me pleasantly surprised. First push down the asphalt road felt close to 80% broken in and by an hour in it felt right as rain. I normally ride loose-ish on Ventures but these at factory tightness were great.

The pop feel took the longest to adjust to coming from hefty pop truck. Way less ghost pop and a it helped "lengthen" the deck I was riding which was shorter than I usually like.

Overall, very impressed and would stick on them till the new Royal trucks are available in my neck of the woods. Or until Venture decides to do a 5.6 V-Hollow Lo.

[close]

Follow up on the ML trucks, liking the twitchy turn and feel of the grind. The lowered truck height helps me feel more stable and this has caused me to skate ledges / rails much faster than usual. Lowered height really helps for tricks I'm not 100% confident with, like Smith grinds.

Shortened WB on these trucks too some getting used to, but I'm finding the foot placement after 3 or so sessions. I've had to widen my stance and apply my more pressure of my front foot to counter the tippiness of the deck.

2 things that could be improved would be:
1) beefier baseplate that sticks out slightly further, the flat edge that makes contact with the ledge is slanted inwards, so you dont' get that satisfying baseplate slide
2) while the stock bushings provide a good turn, they don't flex enough during grinds to get a solid pinch. Thinking about swapping them out to Bones Mediums. If anyone's had experience with that I would love to hear your experience.

I get 340 grams with my 8.38 Mini Logo's. I was surprised to read what you got since they always felt super light to me, so I just checked.

[rocklobster]

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Had my first session on Mini Logo trucks and like everyone here has said: excellent value for the price but not groundbreaking.

First time riding a truck that shortens the wheelbase (+2.75") and coming off Venture cast (+3.25") the first hour was pretty hairy. Quite a bit of lean before the turn but when they do turn it was really sharp and I didn't have to tick tack at the edge of the park. No wheelbite despite the low height. A touch heavier than I would like at 363g which is close to a Venture 5.6 Std, a hollow kingpin variant would be a nice upgrade.

Can't comment on the pinch yet since the slight drizzle was making me paranoid about skating the ledge but for straight on 50-50s they felt adequate. Metal felt hard-ish, between a Indy and a Venture.

Was tempted to fit my worn in Bones Medium got lazy and stuck with stock which had me pleasantly surprised. First push down the asphalt road felt close to 80% broken in and by an hour in it felt right as rain. I normally ride loose-ish on Ventures but these at factory tightness were great.

The pop feel took the longest to adjust to coming from hefty pop truck. Way less ghost pop and a it helped "lengthen" the deck I was riding which was shorter than I usually like.

Overall, very impressed and would stick on them till the new Royal trucks are available in my neck of the woods. Or until Venture decides to do a 5.6 V-Hollow Lo.

[close]

Follow up on the ML trucks, liking the twitchy turn and feel of the grind. The lowered truck height helps me feel more stable and this has caused me to skate ledges / rails much faster than usual. Lowered height really helps for tricks I'm not 100% confident with, like Smith grinds.

Shortened WB on these trucks too some getting used to, but I'm finding the foot placement after 3 or so sessions. I've had to widen my stance and apply my more pressure of my front foot to counter the tippiness of the deck.

2 things that could be improved would be:
1) beefier baseplate that sticks out slightly further, the flat edge that makes contact with the ledge is slanted inwards, so you dont' get that satisfying baseplate slide
2) while the stock bushings provide a good turn, they don't flex enough during grinds to get a solid pinch. Thinking about swapping them out to Bones Mediums. If anyone's had experience with that I would love to hear your experience.

[close]

I get 340 grams with my 8.38 Mini Logo's. I was surprised to read what you got since they always felt super light to me, so I just checked.

Had some time today so I messed around with bushing and pivot cups.

From stock bushings to Bones Medium, hope that gives a better pinch, bones top and bottom washer on.
From stock pivot cup to generic ones, the stock ones felt like hard plastic crap, wonder why ML skimped out on that 1 cheap component.

Edit:
Went back to the stock bushings and pivot cups.
Bones Mediums weren't sitting right and my back truck was always off angle, back to stock
The generic pivot cups I put in were ripped up in 2 weeks (6 sessions), something about how low the trucks are with the yoke design doesn't play well with non-standard pivot cups.

[PacketLoss]

I'm running a set of those Theeve TiHangers to see how long they last. They cost a small fortune. I usually skate Indys or Ace down through the axle until they bend or break. Pretty curious to see how long these hold up with an entire titanium hanger. They've been sparking like crazy on curbs so far and occasionally they catch on metal when I do flatbar 5050s etc.





Also made a little video with some thoughts about trucks after skating them long term and beating them up.


https://youtu.be/IK6K14g_PFs

I feel like I'll probably get roasted for posting that video in SLAP forums but tbh this place got me started with nerding-out about trucks.

[rocklobster]

I'm running a set of those Theeve TiHangers to see how long they last. They cost a small fortune. I usually skate Indys or Ace down through the axle until they bend or break. Pretty curious to see how long these hold up with an entire titanium hanger. They've been sparking like crazy on curbs so far and occasionally they catch on metal when I do flatbar 5050s etc.





Also made a little video with some thoughts about trucks after skating them long term and beating them up.


https://youtu.be/IK6K14g_PFs

I feel like I'll probably get roasted for posting that video in SLAP forums but tbh this place got me started with nerding-out about trucks.

Interesting review, this thread is way more forgiving for brands that aren't the Big 3 + 1 (Ace). I inherited the same pair of Theeve trucks in 8.0 from a friend who splurged on a new setup coming back and only skated 1. Unfortunately it's in 8.0, but would have loved to give it a go.

And thanks for doing your research and posting in the correct thread.

[Xen]

Theeve tih are fucking great....except on flat iron 9and some round bars can be sticky). They destroy curbs and pool coping tho. Effortless grind and they last forever....comes at a price tho, getting grooves isn't easy. But it looks like the dude in the video is making good krooks progress!

There's an image out there with a theeve tih with a hole in the hanger and still together. Been ages since I've seen it.

As someone who slappies a lot, any truck works, but Tensor mags and ACE (softer classics) take the cake. Can't go wrong with regular Theeves/Indy/Thunder/(new) Royal.

Still hoping the Tensor ATG re-design nets a low/mid maglight around 52mm.

[FUBAR]

Still hoping the Tensor ATG re-design nets a low/mid maglight around 52mm.

Wat…they are redesigning the Tensor ATGs? Maybe I will be able to get more than 4-5 sessions without bending an axle!

[TwisT]

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Still hoping the Tensor ATG re-design nets a low/mid maglight around 52mm.

[close]

Wat…they are redesigning the Tensor ATGs? Maybe I will be able to get more than 4-5 sessions without bending an axle!

I emailed dwindle a few months ago, when it was noticed that the original ATGs had mag baseplates, but the currents ones don't. They said they were redesigning the truck, but did not offer details

[TwisT]

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Still hoping the Tensor ATG re-design nets a low/mid maglight around 52mm.

[close]

Wat…they are redesigning the Tensor ATGs? Maybe I will be able to get more than 4-5 sessions without bending an axle!

[close]

I emailed dwindle a few months ago, when it was noticed that the original ATGs had mag baseplates, but the currents ones don't. They said they were redesigning the truck, but did not offer details

[close]

I took it to mean that the "addition" of alloy baseplates was the redesign. Reached out to Tensor to confirm, and they never got back to me. 

[PuffinMuffin]

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Still hoping the Tensor ATG re-design nets a low/mid maglight around 52mm.

[close]

Wat…they are redesigning the Tensor ATGs? Maybe I will be able to get more than 4-5 sessions without bending an axle!

[close]

I emailed dwindle a few months ago, when it was noticed that the original ATGs had mag baseplates, but the currents ones don't. They said they were redesigning the truck, but did not offer details

[close]

I took it to mean that the "addition" of alloy baseplates was the redesign. Reached out to Tensor to confirm, and they never got back to me. 

[close]

Thank you! Somehow I missed this, I'm stoked. 

[user18081971]

Might be a stupid question, but if I'm about 140ish lb. and use 1/8" risers would I still be able to bend the axles on mags easily?

[TwisT]

Might be a stupid question, but if I'm about 140ish lb. and use 1/8" risers would I still be able to bend the axles on mags easily?

I’m 200 and haven’t bent the axles. I’m on my second pair.  I’m mostly do ledges, Hubba rails, and small/medium transition.

[PuffinMuffin]

Finally found a skateshop that will ship Polster Ti's worldwide. Word is they skate like Thunder hollow lights, but they're a bit lower and lighter (than even Thunder Ti's).

https://blackheavenshop.com/Lights-585-Trucks-Silver-85_1

Comes out to 77 dollars with a free tote bag shipped to America:

[goodatmeth]

Finally found a skateshop that will ship Polster Ti's worldwide. Word is they skate like Thunder hollow lights, but they're a bit lower and lighter (than even Thunder Ti's).

https://blackheavenshop.com/Lights-585-Trucks-Silver-85_1

Comes out to 77 dollars with a free tote bag shipped to America:

Be careful, they say titanium in the description but this shop does not seem to have actual polster titaniums!
The real ones have a blue sticker on them, those are just the "Lights"

Edit: I have polster titanium 8.5 trucks and they're great, they are a few grams lighter than thunder titaniums and 52mm high. Same wheelbase extension as forged thunders. But honestly there's no reason to get them to the usa for that price, where I live they cost half as much as thunders so that's amazing, but they're not better than thunders in any way.

[PuffinMuffin]

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Finally found a skateshop that will ship Polster Ti's worldwide. Word is they skate like Thunder hollow lights, but they're a bit lower and lighter (than even Thunder Ti's).

https://blackheavenshop.com/Lights-585-Trucks-Silver-85_1

Comes out to 77 dollars with a free tote bag shipped to America:

[close]

Be careful, they say titanium in the description but this shop does not seem to have actual polster titaniums!
The real ones have a blue sticker on them, those are just the "Lights"

Edit: I have polster titanium 8.5 trucks and they're great, they are a few grams lighter than thunder titaniums and 52mm high. Same wheelbase extension as forged thunders. But honestly there's no reason to get them to the usa for that price, where I live they cost half as much as thunders so that's amazing, but they're not better than thunders in any way.

Good catch! You're totally right, the description also says "axles are made of heat-treated T6 356 aluminum" even though above it states they're titanium.

It seems legitimate EU sites charge ~70 dollars for Titans after converting from euros. In the US Thunder Ti's sell for around 85 dollars.

[MysticalTypeExperience]

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Still hoping the Tensor ATG re-design nets a low/mid maglight around 52mm.

[close]

Wat…they are redesigning the Tensor ATGs? Maybe I will be able to get more than 4-5 sessions without bending an axle!

[close]

I emailed dwindle a few months ago, when it was noticed that the original ATGs had mag baseplates, but the currents ones don't. They said they were redesigning the truck, but did not offer details

[close]

I took it to mean that the "addition" of alloy baseplates was the redesign. Reached out to Tensor to confirm, and they never got back to me. 

[close]

Good stuff although "coming soon" could mean anything these days, and not sure how we'll even know seeing as they don't advertise this anywhere.

I really want to give these a go but only if they have mag baseplates. Then if the axles have any issues or the hanger wears out quick I'll just franken the baseplate with an aluminum Venture hanger or something similar. Anyone ever done this? What aluminum hangers have the most similar geometry to Tensor ATGs?

[MysticalTypeExperience]

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Still hoping the Tensor ATG re-design nets a low/mid maglight around 52mm.

[close]

Wat…they are redesigning the Tensor ATGs? Maybe I will be able to get more than 4-5 sessions without bending an axle!

[close]

I emailed dwindle a few months ago, when it was noticed that the original ATGs had mag baseplates, but the currents ones don't. They said they were redesigning the truck, but did not offer details

[close]

I took it to mean that the "addition" of alloy baseplates was the redesign. Reached out to Tensor to confirm, and they never got back to me. 

[close]

[close]

Good stuff although "coming soon" could mean anything these days, and not sure how we'll even know seeing as they don't advertise this anywhere.

I really want to give these a go but only if they have mag baseplates. Then if the axles have any issues or the hanger wears out quick I'll just franken the baseplate with an aluminum Venture hanger or something similar. Anyone ever done this? What aluminum hangers have the most similar geometry to Tensor ATGs?

[close]

Bent two pairs of AGT hangers, but I love the way they skate.

Have you been spying on me?  I mated ATG baseplates with Thunder Ti hangers, and it feels like ATGs. The problem is the pivot isn't fully seated in the cup. To rectify this, I measured the gap, popped out the pivot cups, and filled the recess with Devcon Plastic Steel Epoxy, then popped in the pivot cups, and built the trucks back up. They skate great! No problems so far.

Are there pics of this madness in this thread somewhere?

[MysticalTypeExperience]

Hey yo guys, so out of curiosity I decided to grab a pair of 8.5 Aluminum Tensor ATG since I'm a big fan of the mag lights. I've never really seen a weight listed for them anywhere, or if I did I always assumed that it was actually for the alloys because surely even though they're aluminum they've gotta be pretty light right?

Well, not really. They're 381.5g. Obviously that's not bad for an 8.5 solid axle/kp truck but after seeing how ridiculously light the mag lights were (260 something before I even took any meat off them) I guess I just expected some sort of witchcraft or something. I was thinking they'd be in the 330-340 range for some reason, so I'm a little bit disappointed but as long as they still turn and pop the same the extra weight shouldn't bother me too much.

Do those baseplates work with Krux DLK's?

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Why oh why do film bushings absolutely freeze over in the colder months (and what alternatives do I have)?

[Sativa Lung]

Why oh why do film bushings absolutely freeze over in the colder months (and what alternatives do I have)?

Its seriously crazy. They full on lock up. I've fucked myself so many times running out the door on a cold day and making my first turn fine and then at the next corner I lean and nothing happens. It wouldn't be so frustrating if they weren't some of my favorite bushings at room temperature.

For alternatives.. I just run bones med in mine over winter or skate something else. Thunders work pretty well too. I think most bushings will firm up a bit in cold weather but the bones ones stay pretty consistent. I do wish more companies made interlocking bushings.

[Sativa Lung]

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Hey yo guys, so out of curiosity I decided to grab a pair of 8.5 Aluminum Tensor ATG since I'm a big fan of the mag lights. I've never really seen a weight listed for them anywhere, or if I did I always assumed that it was actually for the alloys because surely even though they're aluminum they've gotta be pretty light right?

Well, not really. They're 381.5g. Obviously that's not bad for an 8.5 solid axle/kp truck but after seeing how ridiculously light the mag lights were (260 something before I even took any meat off them) I guess I just expected some sort of witchcraft or something. I was thinking they'd be in the 330-340 range for some reason, so I'm a little bit disappointed but as long as they still turn and pop the same the extra weight shouldn't bother me too much.

[close]

Do those baseplates work with Krux DLK's?

No idea. I honestly have barely touched those trucks since I got them. They're heavy and not very good,

[MysticalTypeExperience]

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Hey yo guys, so out of curiosity I decided to grab a pair of 8.5 Aluminum Tensor ATG since I'm a big fan of the mag lights. I've never really seen a weight listed for them anywhere, or if I did I always assumed that it was actually for the alloys because surely even though they're aluminum they've gotta be pretty light right?

Well, not really. They're 381.5g. Obviously that's not bad for an 8.5 solid axle/kp truck but after seeing how ridiculously light the mag lights were (260 something before I even took any meat off them) I guess I just expected some sort of witchcraft or something. I was thinking they'd be in the 330-340 range for some reason, so I'm a little bit disappointed but as long as they still turn and pop the same the extra weight shouldn't bother me too much.

[close]

Do those baseplates work with Krux DLK's?

[close]

No idea. I honestly have barely touched those trucks since I got them. They're heavy and not very good,

Alright so not even worth fucking with? Might try the Mag Lights though when they come back with the magnesium baseplates

[Sundaynuggets]

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Why oh why do film bushings absolutely freeze over in the colder months (and what alternatives do I have)?

[close]

I do wish more companies made interlocking bushings.

Just curious, what do interlocking bushings do different than regular bushings?

[Mbrimson88]

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Why oh why do film bushings absolutely freeze over in the colder months (and what alternatives do I have)?

[close]

I do wish more companies made interlocking bushings.

[close]

Just curious, what do interlocking bushings do different than regular bushings?

They are supposed to keep everything exactly where they are meant to me, without the bushings getting pushed out to one side or the other when turning or being pressed hard for tricks, eg crooked grinds where the truck is on a significant angle.

They only really work well in the exact truck make they were designed for, as trying to put those bushings in other trucks often means they don't fit well, but all told, they do what they were designed to to on those trucks.

I have some from some Tensor trucks on a kids complete, which didn't fit on a couple of other brand trucks that I had tried them on, but it was not a big deal and more just a curious experiment.