What Term Do You Use for What Rigs?

[stude]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

I'm not going to say I don't know the difference between a TRAILER, a 5th WHEEL, a CAMPER, an RV, a SEMI "TRACTOR-TRAILER" &/or a TOW VEHICLE, because I think I do.

But many others think they do, too.

What page are we all on for what these creatures are?

My Aussie pen pal calls them ALL "Caravans," except the tow vehicle, and I think they call them caravans in England, too..

My Aunt calls them all "campers."

Some people call them all RVs.

Any ideas on how the categories ought to go? Aren't they all relatively different? You can't use one exactly the same way you'd use another type?

Below: our tow vehicle, a Dodge Grand Caravan (as in "van") pulling Peanut, a trailer.

BEST
Kai

:What your towing is a Trailer not a Camper, a Camper is one that fits into the back of a Pickup truck, then you have your molded trailers and this one looks more like a stickie than a molded trailer, a 5th wheel trailer is towed by a pickup truck with the base being in the truck box and the trailer hooks into it, then there is a Class B which which is a raised roof van, Class C or sometimes called a B+, then the CLass C which has the upper bunk in the overhang of a truck or van roof, then the Class A which is all one body with motor/tranny and sleeping cooking area all in one plot. I like towing a small trailer if one can find the right truck as the trucks today one needs a step ladder to get in and out of them, do not fit into parking spots but neither does our 30' Winnie Class A especially with the Toad on the back but when we get to a spot we like we make a deal on renting that spot for 2 to 4 weeks and do our travelling in the toad, Our toad is way better than a ATV as ours can go places a ATV cannot.
THere are so many different Variations of trailers, campers, canopies, motorhomes, out there that it will make your head spin, like Canopy and American calls it a Camper but in Canada it is a Canopy one can sleep in it but cannot stand up in it, or haul goods and keep them dry while doing so, A Camper you can stand up in, cook, sleep, fart, eat, porta pottie, and so on which u cannot do in a canopy.
Stude

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by stude

... [an] American calls it a Camper but in Canada it is a Canopy one can sleep in it but cannot stand up in it, or haul goods and keep them dry while doing so, A Camper you can stand up in, cook, sleep, fart, eat, porta pottie, and so on which u cannot do in a canopy.
Stude

Call it a camper, call it a canopy, call it a shell, call it a cap, call it a topper, but I can state from personal experience seven out of the eight listed activities are possible (and quite a few others that aren't listed)...

[Harvey]

I think in my more'n 50yrs experience I've seen 'em called everything from camper to RV. Some folks (me included) still call the entire thing, tow vehicle, camper , etc., a 'rig' regardless of size. I've owned truck campers, pop-up trailers, 5th wheels, bumper pull trailers, & a teardrop trailer since the early 1960s, & they've been registered by state officials as trailers, campers, RVs, utility trailers, etc. I have to agree with Jon in AZ & say they're whatever officialdom puts on the title/registration. I've called 'em all 'campers' at one time or another & that's probably more correct than anything else. I think 'terminology' is probably the least of our worries...

[padlin00]

RV, any sort of rec vehicle, be it a truck camper, a class A, or anything between.
Camper, any sort of RV used for camping.
Trailer, any RV pulled by a vehicle.
Bumper Pull is a trailer that hooks up to a vehicles stinger, as in rear mounted ball hitch.
Rig, the whole enchilada. Tow vehicle, RV, Boat pulled behind an RV, whatever... For me my rig is the truck and the 5th wheel, and sometimes the canoe on the roof.

My 5th wheel is an RV, a camper, a trailer, a fifth wheel, and part of my rig.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by padlin00

RV, any sort of rec vehicle, be it a truck camper, a class A, or anything between.
Camper, any sort of RV used for camping.
Trailer, any RV pulled by a vehicle.
Bumper Pull is a trailer that hooks up to a vehicles stinger, as in rear mounted ball hitch.
Rig, the whole enchilada. Tow vehicle, RV, Boat pulled behind an RV, whatever... For me my rig is the truck and the 5th wheel, and sometimes the canoe on the roof.

My 5th wheel is an RV, a camper, a trailer, a fifth wheel, and part of my rig.

Not sure whether I should delete this or not, Bob. You are sounding a bit like a politician here.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Kingdom: Land vehicle
Phylum: Highway vehicle
Class: Recreational vehicle
Order: Towable recreational vehicle
Family: Travel trailer
Genus: Molded fiberglass travel trailer
Species: Scamp 13
Sub-species: Standard Layout 1
Common name: Camper

Love it!

[padlin00]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Not sure whether I should delete this or not, Bob. You are sounding a bit like a politician here.

Oh no, just shoot me.

[Harvey]

As another poster said (maybe in another thread) it makes no difference what you call 'em as long as you're camping...

[Johnny M]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

For starters, to me a rig is something I used to drive, a semi/trailer combo. Our trailers do not rate that category. I actually just heard someone on the Escape forum call theirs a "rig" a while back, the first I had heard that term for our small(ish) trailers.

As a retired firefighter, our fire apparatus (fire trucks) were commonly referred to as our "rigs". Even the EMTs/Paramedics also referred to their ambulances as "rigs" even though they were considerably smaller.

I guess the name and habit stuck because I am guilty of referring to our 71 Boler as our "rig"....

[Harvey]

I've heard 'em called 'my rig' (referring to both tow vehicle & whatever kind of RV is being used) for at least the 50+ years I've been involved with RVs. Never knew that truck drivers used that terminology too, but then I ain't been around very many truckers, or firemen/para-medics for that matter. Matter of fact, in my experience, many (most??) people use 'my rig' to refer to their method of transportation & any accoutrements. Don't think the term was invented by either truckers or RVers... If anyone gets mad at me or makes fun of me for referring to 'my rig, well, so be it??

[Kai in Seattle]

It makes a difference what you call them when you're discussing details and are seeking specific information about them.


When you're out vacationing/recreating/camping with them, then as to names/terms, "it's all good."


When you're trying to figure out repairs, wiring diagrams, tow capacities, water, sewer, and other hookups, are selling or buying one, or trying to accurately describe and discuss them, then it does matter.


BEST
Kai

[Kai in Seattle]

Harvey--


IMHO:

I've heard women's clothing ensembles referred to as their "rig" as well...the term "rig" is being used for a variety of things nowadays.

It likely derives from the very, very old expression, "rigged out" as in having all the lines properly set on a sailing ship, as in the "rigging." The term may well have far older antecedents than that, as well.


Paul has worked as a "rigger" at both the shipyards and at Machinists, Inc. when putting lines (rigs) on something to lift or move it safely...


So few trailers have sails or lines...so few semi trucks do, either (though lines/straps/rigs are often used to secure loads...)! The expression has grown with time and expanded its usage...it's not just for truckers, though it certainly does apply to their "rigs" as well as many other things equally well.

I often use "rig" to refer to someone's trailer/camper/car&tow/toad/etc. because after one has written "trailer" fifteen times, one longs for a fresher term. It's not inaccurate.<_<


Here's the shell of our rig, Peanut, all rigged up, as well as the rigged up 40x 60 tarp Paul used to cover it in 2015/2016 to make repairs, as well as our complete "rig" all rigged out last July 2016...Denny Creek Campground, Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest Campground, Washington.

[War Eagle]

Speaking of terms, Wikipedia defines a scamp as, "a person, especially a child, who is mischievous in a likable or amusing way". That perfectly describes a few Scamp owners I know!

[Jon in AZ]

Point taken, Kai! The problem, as this thread has exposed, is that there are a lot of different terms used for the same thing, terms used loosely and/or inaccurately, and terms that have no precise definition, like "camper."

"Trailer" is an ambiguous word. In most codes it is generic for anything that attaches to the back of a vehicle and moves down the highway on wheels, including fifth wheels. But it is sometimes used loosely as short for travel trailer, which generally refers more specifically to a bumper-pull RV with fixed walls.

"Fifth wheel" is another ambiguous word. Technically, it is a type of trailer that attaches to a pickup bed using a king pin coupler. A Scamp 19 attaches to a pick-up bed, so it is often called a fifth wheel to distinguish it from a bumper-pull trailer, but it uses a different kind of coupler called a gooseneck. It is like a fifth wheel in that it normally carries a higher percentage of its weight on the hitch and has different towing characteristics.

I looked up a couple of state motor vehicle definitions. California considers anything that attaches to a vehicle over the rear axle a "fifth wheel," regardless of the coupler type. Ohio specifies a "fifth wheel hitch" but has no category for a recreational vehicle with a gooseneck hitch (as far as I know Scamp is the one and only). So, even among legal jurisdictions, there is inconsistency.

When discussing technical details it's best to know exactly what make and model you're talking about and take any classifiers like "trailer" or "fifth wheel" or "camper" or "rig" with a grain of salt.

[Kai in Seattle]

"SCAMP" definition...8) Wanted to give your post a thumbs up...






"Amerigo" was the first name of an intrepid European explorer, Amerigo Vespucci.
We considered naming Peanut, "Vespucci" and if we repaint one day, with associated decal changes, we might.

[War Eagle]

Technically, I believe "Gooseneck" and "Neckover" are both registered trademark names. But they are both so commonly used (like "fridge" from the original "Frigidaire" company name) to describe that type of in-bed, over-axle hitch that I'm not sure there even is a true generic name for them. Other insight?

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Technically, I believe "Gooseneck" and "Neckover" are both registered trademark names. But they are both so commonly used (like "fridge" from the original "Frigidaire" company name) to describe that type of in-bed, over-axle hitch that I'm not sure there even is a true generic name for them. Other insight?

I believe you are wrong on two accounts. Gooseneck is a term standard in the industry, and not just used generically. All companies use is, and I have not heard any other description used. Neckover is something I have never heard of in my neck of the woods.

And fridge is just a short form of refrigerator. Frigidaire likely is just a play on that.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

[War Eagle]

For anyone still interested in this topic, the Gooseneck Trailer Manufacturing Company (registered trademark name) was founded in 1962. I'll be curious to see if anyone can find the name "gooseneck" in general use to describe this style of trailer prior to that.
Gooseneck Trailers Our Company
The Neckover trailer company came along with a similar design in the early 1970's.
Home
Most anyone who routinely hauls cattle owns one or the other, or both, of these two brands of livestock trailers.

For now, I'll stick with my understanding that the popular term "fridge" (not "refridge") came from the once very popular Frigidaire brand of home refrigerator. But moving on, how about another one - when people commonly ask for a "Kleenex" (R) when they mean more generically a facial tissue?

[War Eagle]

If this was mentioned before, I missed it, but a horse and carriage combination is referred to as a "rig." Not sure how long that terminology has been around, but I bet for a good long while. Probably dates back to the horse and buggy days!

[Kai in Seattle]

Both right about fridge. I looked it up.


The company "Frigidaire" made up their name based on the word "refrigerator" and the term "fridge" came from circa 1925-30; a popular shortening of refrigerator and/or Frigidaire.


...partly like the word kleenex which is technically Kleenex@ a trademarked word. But who stops to say,"Please hand me a disposable facial tissue?" before or after a breezy sneeze?


Did you know "Roller Blades" is another such word? It's really a trademark, the generic term is "inline rollerskates." but again, who will take the time to be TM correct?


And "rig" for a horse and buggy is, of course, another common use. There would be reins involved, hence, "lines" hence, rigging, too, so this harks back to sailing days even more obviously. AND would move on to such things as horse-drawn firetrucks or pumper trucks, and then slide on to be used for today's fire engines...rigs, all.