Element Skateboard Bushings Problem

If your Element complete suddenly squeaks, clicks, or leans like a shopping cart, an Element skateboard bushings problem is probably behind it. Those two small urethane cylinders on each truck sit between the hanger and the baseplate, and they control every bit of lean your setup gives you. When they wear out, dry up, or get crushed by an over-tightened kingpin nut, the whole ride goes flat.

Most stock Element completes ship with bushings in the medium-hard range, roughly 90A to 95A durometer, which suits an average adult rider but feels stiff for lighter skaters. ASTM International maintains safety standards across wheeled sports, and truck hardware is part of the tested assembly. That's why mismatched replacement parts change how a board behaves.

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Quick Answer

Most Element skateboard bushings problems come from overtightening, worn urethane, or a dry pivot cup. Cracked or flattened bushings need replacing. Squeaking usually means the pivot cup needs silicone grease.

Loosen the kingpin nut before buying new parts. Replace both bushings on each truck at once.

Why Your Element Trucks Feel Wrong

Bushings are the cheapest parts on your setup and the ones that change ride feel the most. Element completes ship with urethane that suits a mid-weight rider. Anyone well under or over that range notices stiffness or mush immediately.

Three things kill bushings faster than anything else: overtightening, age, and heat. Cranking the kingpin nut to stop wheelbite compresses the urethane past its rebound point. Once that happens, the bushing stays squashed and stops pushing the hanger back to center.

Dry friction is the other big culprit. Urethane rubbing on urethane, or a pivot pin grinding inside its cup, makes that loud chirp people mistake for a cracked truck. It sounds terminal.

It usually isn't.

Time plays a role too. Riders who skate three or four sessions a week often see visible flattening within three to six months, based on aggregate user reports. Weekend cruisers can stretch a set past a year.

Quick Diagnosis: Match Your Symptom to the Real Problem

Start with the symptom, because it points straight at the fix. Don't guess. Read the table, then move to the matching branch.

A few symptoms overlap, so check in this order. First, feel the kingpin nut. Then look at the bushings themselves.

Then inspect the pivot cup, which hides under the hanger.

One quick test tells you a lot. Stand on the board and lean side to side. If the trucks resist and snap back hard, you're over-tightened.

If they flop with no resistance and the hanger rattles, something is loose.

Squeaking, creaking, or chirping

This is friction, not failure. Nine times out of ten, the pivot cup or the bushing seat has gone dry and needs a dab of silicone grease. Petroleum-based grease will degrade urethane, so stick to silicone.

Stiff steering or trucks that won't lean

Your kingpin nut is too tight. Loosen it a quarter turn, ride it, and repeat until the board turns the way you want. If it still feels dead after backing off two full turns, the bushings are too hard for your weight.

Slop, clicking, or a wobbling hanger

Something is loose. Check the kingpin nut first, then the truck mounting bolts. If the hanger still rocks after everything is snug, the bushings have compressed permanently and need replacing.

Cracked, split, or bulging bushings

Replace them. There's no repair for split urethane, and riding on it makes steering unpredictable. Swap both bushings on that truck at minimum, ideally all four.

How Element Truck Bushings Actually Work

Think of the bushing as a spring with a memory. When you lean, the boardside bushing compresses and the nut-side bushing stretches. When you straighten up, both push the hanger back to neutral.

That rebound is what makes a truck feel alive or dead.

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Bushings, washers, kingpin, and pivot cup: who does what

Four parts work together here. The kingpin is the bolt running through everything. The bushings are the urethane cushions.

The washers sit between the bushing and the nut or baseplate. The pivot cup is a small urethane socket that holds the hanger's pivot pin steady at the other end.

Why durometer and shape change your entire ride

Durometer measures urethane hardness on the A scale, usually 78A up to 101A for skate trucks. Lower numbers mean softer urethane, more lean, and quicker turn-in. Higher numbers mean a stiffer, more stable ride at speed.

Shape matters just as much:

• Barrel bushings have more contact area and feel stable, great for street and bigger riders.
• Cone bushings compress easily and turn fast, a favourite for carving and lighter skaters.
• Stepped cone bushings blend the two, with a wider base and a tapered top.
• Cylinder bushings are the stiffest option and rarely used on stock completes.

Boardside vs nut-side: the two bushings do different jobs

The boardside bushing, the one sitting closest to the deck, handles most of the compression. The nut-side bushing controls how quickly the truck returns. That's why mixed setups exist: a harder board-side bushing with a softer nut-side one gives stability plus turn-in.

The Decision Branches: Fix It, Adjust It, or Replace It

Work through these in order. Most people jump straight to buying new bushings when a free adjustment would have solved it.

Branch 1: Adjust the kingpin nut first

If the trucks feel stiff or too loose, adjust before you buy. Loosen or tighten in quarter turns, then ride for a few minutes. Urethane needs a session or two to settle into a new setting, so give it time before judging.

Branch 2: Lube the pivot cup and bushing seats

If you hear squeaking but the trucks turn fine, lube it. Pop the hanger off, wipe the pivot pin clean, and add a small amount of silicone grease to the cup. Do the same where the bushings contact the washers.

The noise usually stops within a session.

Branch 3: Replace the bushings

If the urethane is cracked, bulging, or permanently flattened, replace it. Match the size to your truck seat, not just the label. Not every "street" bushing fits every truck, and Element stock trucks have their own seat geometry.

Branch 4: Replace the pivot cup or the whole truck

If the hanger rattles even with fresh bushings, the pivot cup is shot. That's a cheap fix on its own. If the kingpin is bent or the baseplate is cracked, though, you're better off replacing the truck entirely.

Choosing the right durometer for your weight and terrain

There's no universal answer, but there's a sensible starting point. Use this as a guide, then tune from there.

Hot weather softens urethane and cold stiffens it. A rider in Arizona and a rider in Scotland may want different numbers on the same board. If you're new to the whole setup, the brands that suit new riders tend to use forgiving stock bushings for exactly this reason.

Step-by-Step: Replacing Bushings on Element Stock Trucks

You don't need a shop for this. A skate tool, silicone grease, and a fresh bushing set will do it. Budget 15 to 20 minutes for your first truck, less once you've done a couple.

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What you need before you start

• Skate tool or a 9/16-inch socket
• New bushings for both trucks
• Silicone grease
• A clean rag

Removing the hanger and old bushings safely

Loosen the kingpin nut completely and lift it off. Slide the hanger off the kingpin, pivot pin first. Pull the old bushings and washers free with your fingers, never a screwdriver.

Metal tools gouge the bushing seat, and that changes how the truck centers afterward.

Installing and seating the new bushings

Drop the boardside bushing into the hanger seat, then its washer. Slide the hanger back over the kingpin and settle the pivot pin into the cup. Add the nut-side bushing and washer on top, in that order.

Dialing in kingpin tension in quarter turns

Thread the nut down until it just contacts the washer. Then tighten a quarter turn at a time. Stop when the hanger squares up on its own with no slop.

Testing the lean and rechecking after a session

Ride for ten minutes and lean both directions. Too quick means add an eighth of a turn. Too stiff means back it off.

Recheck the nut after your next session, because fresh urethane settles into its seat.

Mistakes That Wreck Bushings and Ride Feel

A handful of habits shorten bushing life fast. Most are easy to unlearn once you know what they actually do.

• Overtightening to stop wheelbite. You're crushing the urethane past its rebound point, so it stops springing back. A board that suits your weight removes the temptation.
• Mixing sizes or shapes. Element stock trucks have their own seat depth. A bushing that sits proud of the seat throws off the whole geometry.
• Using petroleum grease. It breaks urethane down over time. Silicone only. The same rule applies to bearings, and our notes on keeping a board in shape cover the rest of the routine.
• Replacing one bushing instead of the pair. Uneven wear makes the truck lean crooked. Swap both at once.
• Ignoring a worn pivot cup. Fresh bushings on a dead pivot cup still click and rattle.

If you've chased the same squeak twice and it keeps coming back, the pivot cup is the usual suspect. It costs a few dollars and takes two minutes.

Costs, Specs, and What You're Actually Buying

Bushing work is the cheapest tune-up in skating. Pricing moves with brand and region, but these are typical street figures as of 2026.

Specs matter more than price. Bushing height and outer diameter have to match the truck seat. Manufacturer documentation confirms that stock Element trucks accept standard street bushings, but seat depth still differs between models.

Measure your old bushing before ordering if you have a caliper handy. A two-second reading beats a return shipping label.

If the deck and wheels are tired as well, work out when the wheels are done before sinking money into trucks. And if you're shopping on reputation rather than numbers, a look at brands worth starting on tells you who builds what.

When to Stop Wrenching and Get Help

Some problems aren't tuning issues at all. If the kingpin is bent, the threads are stripped, or the baseplate has a visible crack, replace the truck. No bushing swap fixes structural damage.

Try a simple torque test. Tighten the kingpin nut and see whether it holds. If it spins freely or won't bite, the threads are gone.

If the hanger still won't sit square after fresh bushings and a properly seated pivot cup, the truck is likely bent. ASTM International publishes testing standards for wheeled sports equipment, though there's no consumer certification specifically for aftermarket bushings. A skate shop can check a hanger against a flat surface in under a minute.

Stop riding if the steering feels unpredictable. A board that won't hold a line is a genuine risk, especially if you use a daily ride to work rather than just park sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my Element trucks squeak so much?

Because the urethane is rubbing dry against the pivot cup or bushing seat. Silicone grease in the pivot cup usually silences it within one session. If the squeak comes with a clicking noise, check the kingpin nut too.

A loose nut lets the hanger shift, and that sounds different from friction.

Can I ride with a cracked bushing?

No. A cracked bushing can't hold its rebound, so the truck won't return to center predictably. That makes turns feel vague and landings sketchy.

Replace the pair before your next session. It's a small cost compared to a rolled ankle.

What durometer bushing should I buy for my weight?

Start around 85A to 90A if you're under 130 lb, 88A to 94A for most adult riders, and 95A to 101A above 180 lb. Adjust from there based on how the truck feels. Weather matters too.

Hot climates soften urethane, so you may want a harder number than the chart suggests.

How tight should the kingpin nut be?

Just snug enough that the hanger has no side-to-side slop. Back it off until the trucks turn the way you want, then stop. Cranking it down flattens bushings and kills rebound.

If you need it very tight to feel stable, your bushings are too soft for your weight.

How often should skateboard bushings be replaced?

Riders who skate three or four times a week often see flattening within three to six months. Weekend riders can go a year or more. Replace them whenever you spot cracks, bulging, or permanent compression.

How hard you tighten the kingpin speeds up that timeline.

Do all skateboard bushings fit Element trucks?

Most standard street bushings will seat in Element stock trucks. Height and outer diameter still vary between models, so measure your old bushing before ordering. If a new bushing sits proud of the seat or rattles inside it, it's the wrong size regardless of the label.