Last couple times out, I've had a great time, actually making it a few miles up and down the beach, learning a ton. But hitting the soft sand is taking it's toll on my body, and I want to be able to keep doing this! So after tons of looking around Al Gore's interwebs, I found Plummets posts (on Extreme Kites) detailing his experiences with granny wheels. Which led back to PKF where IndigoWolf listed the tire specs (thanks!). I thought about going with the Harbor Freight tires, would have been much cheaper, but I could totally see myself buying 4 different sets of tires, only to end up with Granny tires anyway... Rather just go with the proven method the first darn time. I'm hoping any $$ I spend here will save me in medical bills down the line.

Also had to swap out the hubs - MBS FiveStar Hub (and 1 other I can't remember right now) are the only ones listed that handle 9-10" tires. Price wasn't too bad though - and with 2 sets of wheels, I can easily swap back and forth if I need to.

Hopefully be able to test this out - maybe this weekend. Deck is super high right now CG might be a concern - I might flip the trucks and mount them topside. The lower height shouldn't be too much of a problem on the beach... Or if anyone has any Revo trucks they wanna get rid of? The board is also way heavier. I don't have plans go to the air, so weight shouldn't be too much of a problem either.

The other option here is to actually learn how to control everything properly, keep the kite higher, lean back more, stay lighter on my board... but what fun is that if I can't blame my equipment???:evil:

Will let you all know how it goes...

Maybe I am thinking about this wrong, but if you flip the trucks up to the top of the deck to lower the deck and thus your CG, I would think the wheels will turn the wrong way. Lean upwind and the board will turn downwind. :puzzled:

yea that's exactly what will happen

Oh well, was a GREAT idea in my mind...

If you want to lower your CG I think you may need to consider low height trucks and a drop board. Yes, $$$$.


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Yah - if I go that route I'll just make a drop deck myself. Maybe I'll love the view from way up high and it will all be fine! First test is to plow into the sand and not get crash test dummied. After that I'll see if I need more mods.

Or I'll move next door to Carl. His beach is friggin awesome!

I'm probably gonna get to watch this all go down...
already have gotten to see this guy try to kill himself more times than i can remember
really way more fun than flying solo
its friggin great

It might be tempting, but don't scalp your tickets, I put on a great show!

Sorry to disappoint abkayak... the granny tires work great. Deck is a little high and had to tighten the trucks, but overall was well worth the upgrade. Plows through sand with ease, and eats up potholes and rocks at the airport. Only real problem might be speed wobbles, but so far haven't pressed it past about 20mph. Felt a little unstable, but not terrible.

from me for the upgrade :D

Quote: Originally posted by Windstruck

Maybe I am thinking about this wrong, but if you flip the trucks up to the top of the deck to lower the deck and thus your CG, I would think the wheels will turn the wrong way. Lean upwind and the board will turn downwind. :puzzled:

Is that really the case? I need to turn my ATB upside down and see what happens...

Yep, you would have to ride toeside. I haven't tried it yet, but I was thinking extensions bolted on the ends might lower the board a bit, and at least get your feet away from the tires. But like I said, I don't mind the height that much, so not a top priority.

Hey Guy's

Reviving an old post here I know, but some insight from a ex downhill longboarder.

You can 100% flip your trucks on top.. but you also have to spin them 180*.
however in doing this you are also loading the truck in a completely opposite way then designed.

If you are looking to implement this then I would run a larger flat washer under the kingpin nut and look to experiment with every boards least thought about but most important feature, the bushings.
I would find longboard bushings that are appropriate for your weight and desired stability. I would recommend the barrel shape for the most resistance to the wobbles. Check out this helpful guide:

https://www.muirskate.com/longboard-guide/bushings/intro/

Another option is making a "drop through" truck mount such as

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/545810cae4b03152ab746...

Lots of options! Experimenting with different truck mountings and bushings will help you find a good balance between ride height, turning radius, and stability.

Quote: Originally posted by Windstruck

Maybe I am thinking about this wrong, but if you flip the trucks up to the top of the deck to lower the deck and thus your CG, I would think the wheels will turn the wrong way. Lean upwind and the board will turn downwind. :puzzled:

They turn the wrong way until you spin them 180 degrees. I replaced the axle on my truck with my dad after a car wreck bent it up. First gear was reverse until I flipped the axle over and bolted it back up again.

Used to be a landboard you could buy with tyres like in the amazon link below, but it was $1500 for what looked like a homemade deck and cheap trucks, and when I went looking the wheels themselves were only like $50 each...

https://www.amazon.com/KAYAK-CARRIER-Large-Balloon-Tires/dp/...

Yeah - those are a little overkill. 9 or 10 inch tires work perfectly. Might give spinning the trucks 180 a try when I get a few minutes, but I ended up liking the extra height, and now mostly using the Haize anyway. If I were to really go down the granny path, I'd follow Plummet's footsteps (again) and find or build revos.
But cool to have all this info in 1 place in case anyone else is interested.

I was thinking about a Flexdeck thingy with the balloon tyres for our very soft sand ... but then I got into the water :D