Trailer Talk Lingo

[cpaharley2008]

If you want to stray to the king of acronyms, the government
SNAFU
IRS
DCASR
FUBAR
DOD
DOE
and the list can go on and on, stopped since these have nothing to do with camping.......except maybe snafu

[rabbit]

Assembly of acronyms from initial letters of words means any given acronym will likely be found in multiple contexts, for instance ATF. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and automatic transmission fluid. It appears to me that the convenience of this sort of abbreviation or shorthand is offset by the difficulties of understanding created for those who are not familiar with a particular example. BICBW. We probably should honor Gilda's request by sticking to trailerspeak and eschew thmbtxt.

jack

[carlkeigley]

Originally Posted by rabbit

We probably should honor Gilda's request by sticking to trailerspeak and eschew thmbtxt.

jack

And I was going to add ten pages of ammunition acronyms.......LOL

[rabbit]

ADs are frowned upon in all shooting sports and disciplines, Carl.

[carlkeigley]

LOL.......that one I don't know.

[rabbit]

Accidental discharge.

[carlkeigley]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Accidental discharge.

LOL........thanks. Will have to add that to my list.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Accidental discharge.

Isn't that what happens when something scares you?

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Isn't that what happens when something scares you?

We call them racing stripes.

[Rpryor3]

Originally Posted by frank_a

What Rabbit refers to as a "stinger" I've always known as a ball mount.

Frank

Yeah me too until one day while walking around the back of my TV(tow vehicle) I experienced the lovely shin pain from not noticing the ball mount sticking out. From that day on it was a stinger to me......

[rabbit]

I've also heard "shank." So we've got shank, ball mount, drawbar, and stinger. Any others?

jack

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by rabbit

I've also heard "shank." So we've got shank, ball mount, drawbar, and stinger.

"Shank" normally refers to only the part of a multi-piece adjustable-height ball mount or WD hitch head which goes into the receiver; it is not interchangeable with "ball mount", which is the whole thing right to the hole for the ball, either in a single piece or as an adjustable assembly.

"Drawbar" is often used to mean a ball mount, but I don't think this is appropriate for something which supports the trailer's tongue weight - it normally refers to a bar which is used to pull a full trailer (for which the drawbar is hinged at both ends) or implement.

My guess is that "stinger" should be considered a synonym for ball mount, but I think the term ball mount is much more descriptive, and ball mount is what the towing equipment industry generally uses.

[carlkeigley]

Originally Posted by rabbit

I've also heard "shank." So we've got shank, ball mount, drawbar, and stinger. Any others?

jack

Most slang I've heard for it is
%$#@#@@^% (sp)

[carlkeigley]

(sp) = spelling?

[Cyndi B.]

My husband had a drawbar from a John Deere on his 78 chevy pickup. It was very immobile.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Cyndi B.

My husband had a drawbar from a John Deere on his 78 chevy pickup. It was very immobile.

That can happen sometimes...