Glossary
| A Class | A purpose
built motorhome built from the chassis up by the original manufacturer.
Very comfortable and lots of room inside with at least 26 foot length. The
drivers and passenger seats are usually mounted as swivel chairs and are
part of the living area. Usual layout has the living area to the front with
kitchen in the middle. Behind the kitchen is usually the bathroom with the
bedroom in the rear, although there are variations on this theme |
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| B Class | A custom
built motorhome on a truck chassis. In other words the cab chassis is built
as multipurpose for the trucking industry and a motorhome body is then added
behind the cab. Usually more streamlined front than the cab-over C class.
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| C Class | (Cab-over)
are motorhomes built on a cab chassis with a bed over the cab area. Usually
more compact and easier to drive than an A or B class. Also usually with
a GVM less than 4.5 tonne so they can be driven on a car licence. |
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| Campervan | Smaller
again based on a van body and normally without shower and toilet. Usually
the size does not permit bed and lounge/dinette so bed will usually have
to be made up each night. |
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| Bus/Coach Conversion | As the
name states it was a bus which has had all the seats removed and been converted
to a motorhome. Large coaches are a good alternative as they were built
for long distances – the engines will last for many hundred thousand
kilometres and are usually fitted with air bag suspension for a more comfortable
ride. Most have a high GVM making them popular for full timers as they have
the size and strength to build a palace on wheels. |
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| 5th Wheeler | A motorhome
in a caravan configuration that is towed with a special purpose turntable
hitch over the middle of the rear axle of the tow vehicle. The body of the
motorhome extends well over the tow vehicle which usually has a utility
style body . |
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| WORT | Weird off road truck. A term used for a group of home built motorhomes based on truck chassis’ that are - well - weird (and fantastic at the same time). Go to www.robgray.com to see what I mean. | ||
| Grey water: | Waste water from shower, sink and washing machine. This water is stored in a grey water tank until it can be appropriately drained | ||
| Black water: | Waste water from toilet. This water is stored in tank or cassette usually with a treatment solution until it can be emptied into an appropriate system. | ||
| Invertor | A device which converts the DC power from you battery (12 or 24 volt) to AC 240 volt power so you can plug in your home appliances. | ||
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Dump
Point
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A sewerage inlet pipe that will accept both black and grey water. Usually found at caravan parks, country town showgrounds and an ever increasing number of places. | ||
| Three way fridge | A fridge that runs on three different types of power input. That is gas, 12 volt or 240 volt. Usually run on gas when no access to 240 volt power, on 240 volt when access to power, and on 12 volt only when driving. It is recommended not to run on gas whilst driving and especially whilst refuelling. | ||
| Two way fridge | A fridge that runs on two different types of power input. That is 12 volt or 240 volt. The 240 volt for when stopped and the 12 volt for when driving. This type of fridge is only useful if you have regular access to 240 volt pwer. | ||
| 12 (or 24) volt fridge | A fridge that runs on 12 (or 24) volt solar power only. It may have a transformer to run on 240 volt also | ||
| Dry Bath | A bathroom in your motorhome where the shower and toilet are separate and therefore the toilet does not get wet when the shower is used. | ||
| Wet Bath | A
bathroom in your motorhome where the toilet is in, or near the shower cubicle
and therefore gets wet when the shower is in use. This is usually a compromise
for space elsewhere in the motorhome. |
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| Free camp: | As the name suggests, a place to stay a nigh or two that does not cost. Also a term often associated with camping independent of any resources like power and water and toilets. Some of the best free camps though do cost a few dollars but sill refered to as such due to the value or such places. | ||
| Boondocking: | An American term for Free Camp | ||
| Dry camping: | Again an American term for a free camp where you do not use any water or electricity, or release any waste, that is "dry". | ||
| Island Bed: | A bed (usually double or queen) where you can walk around all three sides and get out of on either side. | ||
| North South Bed: | A
bed that has its head at the towards the front or the back of the motorhome.
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| East West Bed: | A bed that has its head at either side of the motorhome | ||
| Slide-out: | A part of the floor space of a motorhome or 5th wheeler that slides out when parked to increase the room inside the unit. Usually only on the larger rigs. Usually contains inbuilt furniture like a dinette and/or lounge to increase the area of the living room or bed to increase the room around the bed. The vehicle can not be driven with the slide-out in the "out" position. | ||
| GPS: |
(Global Positioning System) A (usually hand held) computer that tells you exactly where you are in space in Latitude, Longitude and Elevation. It utilises information from at least three GPS satellites that are in orbit in space and complex triangulation mathematics to calculate coordinates. Can be used alone or in combination with other hardware and software to find where you are or give you directions to any point of interest or street address you wish. Usually on the must have list for motorhome techno junkies or gadget men (or ladies). |
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| A Frame: | An A-frame as the word suggests is the A shaped draw bar part of a trailer bolted directly to the front of your vehicle. All 4 wheels are then travelling on the ground and rotating as you are driving. Brakes are operational via an override brake system or a remote actuator, a variety of which are available to suit every application from air brakes to vacuum brakes (unless your vehicle is under 750 kg where braking is not required). Rear indicators and brake lights also need to be operational. Whilst this system is great for manual vehicles there are only a few automatics that can be towed this way lack of lubrication of the transmission whilst the engine is off. This type of towing has several advantages being no rego, insurance or maintenance on the trailer, no extra weight in towing a trailer, no loading and unloading the car on and off the trailer, and no need to store the trailer when you get to your campsite - the A frame can fit under your motorhome or some versions can fold up and fit in you bins etc | ||
| Car Caddy: | Similar to a car trailer but only one set of wheels are on the ground. Which set depends on whether it is a front or rear wheel drive car, whether it is an auto or manual gearbox. A light bar (to hold your brake and indicator lights) can be used making it easy to use different vehicles. Therefore it is easy to get the vehicle on and off the caddy. An advantage is that some car caddy's can be small enough to fold up and put in a bin when not in use. Also if the car is very small and less than 750kg, like a Suzuki Swift, you do not need trailer brakes. | ||
| Gas Safety Fuse: | A safety valve attached between the gas bottle and the gas line that senses a sudden increase in flow and shuts itself off immediately the flow exceeds a predetermined level. The purpose is to shut off the bottle in the event of a leak down the line. These units have a button to reset after being activated. Some units are available with a gauge as well. | ||
| Porta-potti: | A portable toilet that is freestanding and self contained. The unit comes with two parts which are the top including the freshwater tank and bowl. The bottom half is the waste tank which is removable to be easily carried to a toilet or dump point to empty | ||
| Cassette Toilet: | A fixed toilet that has a removable cassette waste tank that is usually removed via a hatch door in the exterior of the motorhome. This cassette can then be carried to a toilet or dump point for emptying | ||
| Flush toilet: | A fixed toilet that is more like your home toilet. It has a flush button and waste is then held in a black water holding tank underneath the motorhome. This tank is then drained or pumped out at a dump point. | ||
| Recirculating Toilet: | A silent toilet that never gets blocked. This model does not require a separate waste holding tank or a connection to a water supply line. The toilet is charged with clean water and toilet additive. The pump recycles the fluid and solids are collected by a double filter system. The double filter system takes away any risk of obstruction. An easy to read level indicator signals the initial charge level and warns when the waste tank is almost full. A valve underneath the vehicle can be opened to evacuate the waste at an authorised disposal point. | ||
| Wheelbase: | The distance from the centre of the front wheel to the centre of the rear wheel on a two axle vehicle. On a three axle vehicle it is distance from the centre of the front wheel to the midpoint of the centre of the two rear wheels. | ||
| Overhang: | The distance from the centre of the rear wheel (or wheels in a three axle vehicle as described above) to the rear most point of the vehicle. This could be bumper, tow bar, ladder, spare wheel carrier, or a storage locker you may have permanently mounted on the bumper. | ||
| Acceptable overhang as defined by Australian Design Rules: |
60% of wheel base to a maximum of 3.2 metres on a rigid vehicle with 2 axles,
or 3.7 metres on a rigid vehicle with 3 axles. If purchasing an imported
motorhome be sure to measure this length to ensure it complies as many are
over this standard. To fix the situation you may need to have the rear axle
moved back or the body cut in half to add the necessary amount to comply.
If you are contemplating purchasing a vehicle without an Australian compliance
plate check with your local registration authority before parting with your
cash. |
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| Basement: | Commonly refered to as “bins” in Australia, the basement is the underfloor storage areas of your motorhome. | ||
| Full Timer: | A person who lives permanently in their motorhome and more often that not does not have any other permanent accommodation at a fixed address. | ||
| House Battery: | An
additional battery, or bank of batteries that provide the house (living
area) with power whilst stationary in the form of 12/24 volt direct or 240/110
volt via an inverter if installed. The house system is wired so that the
start battery is not drained or utilised whilst parked leaving the start
battery charged for when needed. The house battery, if wired through an
isolator or solenoid, should charge from the alternator whilst driving.
House batteries are normally deep cycle built to withstand a higher number
of discharges and charges and normally will not last long if used for starting
a vehicle, as they are not built for a heavy high amp discharge as in starting
a vehicle. |
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| Start Battery: | The battery normally supplied with the vehicle. No house appliances should draw from this battery whilst parked. These batteries are normal automotive batteries that do not take well to deep discharge and charge cycles but provide high amperage quickly to start the vehicle. | ||
| CCA: |
Cold Cranking Amps is a rating used define a battery's ability to start
an engine. The rating is the number of amps a new, fully charged battery
can deliver at 0° Farenheit for 30 seconds, while maintaining a voltage
of at least 7.2 volts, for a 12 volt battery. The higher the CCA rating,
the greater the starting power of the battery. |
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| Watts: | The basic unit of power used when discussing motorhome electrical power. Watts =Amps x Volts, or Amps = Watts divided by Volts. This is a very useful equation to remember when talking anything to do with your motorhome electrics. For example a fridge draws 120 watts = 10amps x 12 volts. | ||
| Solar Regulator: |
A device installed in your motorhome electrical system to regulate the amount
of power that can go from your solar panel to your house battery. It prevents
your batteries being overcharged by turning off the solar input when the
batteries are cully charged or shutting down the draw on the battery bank
when the battery charge is too low. |
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| Air Bag: | a component of the suspension system that if installed, allows extra load and levelling control, and an adjustable ride, or adjustable height when the vehicle is parked. Airbags can improve the ride, handling and safety of your vehicle, especially when fully loaded or towing. | ||
| Levelling Jacks: | Jacks that are installed under your motorhome that allow you to level the vehicle on uneven ground. When deployed the jacks come down from the chassis and jack up each corner of the vehicle separately whilst the system integrates all 4 jacks to ensure the floor of the vehicle is level. Usually only installed in upmarket "A" class motorhomes. | ||
| Mains hook-up: | The
ability to "plug into" mains or shore power (240 or 110 volt),
water and sometime sullage, TV, phone and internet |
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| Cab Over: | "C" Class motorhomes built on a cab chassis with a bed over the cab area. Usually more compact and easier to drive than an A or B class. Also usually with a GVM less than 4.5 tonne so they can be driven on a car licence. | ||
| Winterise: |
A process of preparing your motorhome for the winter season. Usually not
necessary in Australia but is necessary in climate where it is cold enough
to regularly freeze water. |
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| Wheelbase: | The
length of the vehicle from centre of front wheel to centre of rear wheel.
For vehicles with dual axles the measurement is taken from the driving axle
and not the lazy axle. Vehicles are usually referred to as short or long
wheelbase |
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| Captains Chair: | refers
to the drivers and passenger seats that usually have fold up arms and newer
models have seatbelts installed. Most swivel to allow a dual purpose for
either driving whilst forward facing, or relaxing whilst rearward facing.
Common in"A" class motorhomes |
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| Luton or Luton Peak: | The area at the front of a "cab over" in which usually a double bed is located. | ||
| Toad: | The
vehicle "towed" behind a motorhome, whether it be towed by an
"A" frame or car caddy. Cockpit: The cab area of the motorhome where the driver and passenger sit |
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| © 2008 Gail Bennett (motorhominglifestyle.com). If you would like to reproduce any parts of this page on your website please contact gail@motorhominglifestyle.com | |||
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