Plain-language meanings for terms you will see on machine pages.
- GVW (gross vehicle weight)
- The most a vehicle may weigh when loaded, as set by the manufacturer.
- GCW (gross combination weight)
- The most a truck and its trailer may weigh together, including the load.
- Payload
- The weight of load a vehicle can carry, roughly the GVW minus the weight of the empty vehicle.
- 6×4
- A truck with six wheel positions, four of which are driven. The first number is wheel positions and the second is driven wheels.
- Prime mover
- A truck unit built to pull a semi-trailer. Also called a tractor head.
- Cab chassis
- A truck supplied as a cab and chassis, without a body, so a body can be fitted for the job.
- Tipper
- A truck with a body that raises hydraulically to tip out its load.
- Torque
- The twisting force an engine produces. High torque at low speed helps with heavy loads and hills.
- Euro emissions standard
- A rating, such as Euro IV, of how tightly an engine limits exhaust emissions.
- Wheelbase
- The distance between the centres of the front and rear axles.
- PTO (power take-off)
- A shaft on a tractor that drives implements such as balers and tillers, usually at 540 or 1000 rpm.
- Three-point hitch
- The linkage at the back of a tractor that carries and lifts implements.
- Operating weight
- The weight of a machine ready to work, with fluids and an operator allowance, as defined by the maker.
- Bucket capacity
- The volume a loader or excavator bucket can hold.
- Dig depth
- How far below ground level an excavator or backhoe can dig.
- Breakout force
- The force a bucket can apply to break into and lift material.