Glossary
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.... When you buy for price these days, you can never be sure. It is certainly unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little.When you pay too much, you lose a little money...that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business prohibits paying a little and getting a lot...it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run...and if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better. YOU CAN'T MAKE A BAD DEAL WITH A GOOD DEALER...
Artic Package: An RV that has been equipped with extra insulation and heat pads for holding tanks for wintertime use.
AWR: Axle weight rating.
Back up monitor: Video camera mounted on rear of motorhome to assist the driver visually with backing up the motorhome via a monitor mounted in the driver's compartment or in a central area of the cab where it can be viewed by the driver from the driver's seat. These monitors are usually left in the "on" position to also assist the driver with the flow of traffic behind the motorhome and in watching a towed vehicle.
Basement: Referring to storage area accessible from the outside, usually from the door threshold area down.
Break-away System: Referring to a system that allows the "towed vehicle" to break-away from the towing vehicle in the event of an accident, an add-on safety feature.
BTU: Recreational vehicle refrigerators and furnaces are BTU rated. BTU stands for British thermal unit.
Chassis Battery: Battery in motorhome for operating 12-volt components of drive train.
Class A Motorhome: Class A motorhomes are the largest of the RVs. They tend to resemble a bus.
Class B Motorhome: Also known as a camper van. Class B motorhomes are the most economical, versatile and maneuverable of the motorized RVs.
Class C Motorhomes: Similar to a cube van, consisting of a cab and a large box in the back. They are built on an automotive manufactured van chassis with an attached cab section.
Curb weight: The weight of the unit as it is sitting on the lot, without the personal load that will be added. Also known as net weight.
Delam/delamination: A term used for the separation of the paneling of filon and luan constructing a fiberglass sidewall of an RV. Usually caused by water leaks and gives the exterior fiberglass skin a wavy or bubbled appearance. Depending on the size of the delamination, it can be an expensive repair.
Diesel Pusher: Term used to describe the larger diesel powered motorhomes.
Dinghy: Towed vehicle. Also known as a "toad".
Dry Weight: The empty weight of the vehicle or trailer. Dry weight may or may not include the weight of appliances or slide outs.
Fifth-wheel: A pull-behind travel-trailer that is constructed with a raised forward section that allows a bi-level floor plan.
Filon: Fiberglass sheeting used in RVs with fiberglass sidewall construction. For additional info about fiberglass sidewalls visit http://www.filon.com.
Fiver: Other name for fifth-wheel.
FMCA: Abbreviation for Family Motor Coach Association.
Genset: Abbreviation for generator set.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR): The maximum weight that can be placed on an axle, according to the manufacturer. The GAWR includes all weight placed on all tires on a given axle. Each axle has a separate rating and assumes the load is equal on both sides.
Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR): Maximum allowable combined weight of the tow vehicle and the trailer, according to the vehicle manufacturer. The GCWR includes the weight of the vehicle and the trailer as well as all fuel, water, supplies and passengers.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): Maximum to which a vehicle can be loaded, according to the manufacturer. Includes dry weight of the vehicle plus all fuel, water, supplies and passengers.
Hitch Weight: Amount of the trailer's weight, which rests on the vehicle towing the trailer. Proper weight should be 10 to 15 percent with conventional trailers, 15 to 20 percent for fifth wheels.
Holding Tanks: Tanks used for holding water. They Include the black (toilet) and gray (sink,shower and lavatory) tanks in the RVs.
Hookups: Campground facilities provide for connecting an RV to 120-volt, AC shore power, water, sewer, cable TV, and telephone service. Full hookups: refer to water, electricity and sewer at an RV site.
House Battery: Battery or batteries in motorhome for operating the 12-volt system within the motorhome separate from the chassis.
Inverter: A device for changing 12-volt DC into 120-volt AC power.
Light Weight RV: Recreational vehicles that are designed to easily be towed behind most SUVs, minivans, light-duty trucks and some cars.
LPG: Liquefied petroleum gas, such as propane and butane. Propane is used to fuel RV appliances, such as the stove and refrigerator.
Luan: The1/8' backing board for filon. Luan is the base the filon (fiberglass) is glued on to.
Motorcoach: Term for national automotive dealer's association.
Motorhome: A complete living unit that has been entirely constructed on a bare, specially designed motor vehicle chassis, similar to a bus.
Net Carrying Capacity (NCC): The amount of cargo, passenger and fluid weight that can be added to an RV without exceeding its GVWR.
Park model: Type of RV that is usually designed to be parked permanently but is shorted that a traditional mobile home. All the amenities of a mobile home but not built for recreational travel.
Payload Capacity: The difference between the actual weight and the GVWR of the vehicle or trailer. Note that any options and accessories that you add are included in the payload capacity total of your RV unit.
Pop-up Trailer: Also known as a folding trailer or tent trailer, great for first timers due to its simplicity and relatively low cost.
Pull-through: Term for camping space (whether in campground or not) that only requires the driver to "pull-through" or "drive-through" to access the camping spot, and upon leaving, you again just drive forward to leave or exit the camping space.
RV: Recreational vehicle is a motorized or vehicle that is pulled or towed that combines transportation and temporary living accommodations for travel, recreation and camping. They range from camping trailers costing a few thousand dollars to luxurious diesel pusher motorhomes with prices well into the six figures.
Screen Room: A screened enclosure that's attached to the exterior of an RV which provides a bug-free sitting area outside. Some screen rooms have a canvas type roof for rain protection as well.
Shore Power: Electricity provided by an external plug to external power source.
Slide-out: Additional living space that "slides-out" either by hydraulics, electricity or manually, when the RV is setup for camping.
Slider-hitch: Refers to a sliding hitch used on short-bed trucks for enabling them to tow fifth wheels, allowing them sufficient clearance to jak-knife the trailer.
Tax Axle: A dead axle behind the drive axle that helps support the weight of the overhang and gives you a little more GVW capacity so you don't have to put the full load on the drive axle. Most tag axles are good for supporting 4,000-5,000 lbs.
Tent Trailer: A pull-behind trailer that folds up similarly to a tent. The upper portion is usually made of canvas.
Trailer or Travel Trailer: This self-contained accommodation is towed by means of a bumper frame hitch attached to the towing vehicle.
Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW): Also known as dry weight, this is the weight of the vehicle without manufacturer's or dealer-installed options and before adding fuel, water or supplies. Basically, it represents how much the vehicle weighs when it leaves the factory.
Wally World: Slang term used by RVers to describe a Walmart.
Wheelbase: Distance between center lines of the primary axles of a vehicle. If a motorhome includes a tag axle, the distance is measured from the front axle to the center point between the drive and tag axles.
120AC/12DC/LP Gas: The power sources on which RV refrigerators operate; 120 volt alternating current (same as in houses); 12DC is 12 volt direct current (same as motor vehicles). Some RV refrigerators can operate on two or three sources, others operate on all three.