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Glossary of Four Wheeling Terms

Term
Definition
4WD Stands for Four Wheel Drive. Vehicles that have the ability to drive the front and rear differential simultaneously.
Air Down The technique of airing down tires to improve traction on rough and rocky terrain.
Air Locker A differential that has the ability to go from open to locked by use of compressed air.
BLM Bureau of Land Management. This is an agency of the Department of the Interior that manages public lands not administered by the Forest Service or the State.
Bog A wet and muddy area made from the collection of plant debris over many years. Some roads include bogs with hardened bottoms. Usually bogs are created when individuals leave the established roadbed and drive in marshy areas.
Clearance The distance from the lowest (usually) point on a vehicle to the ground. This is typically the bottom of the front or rear differential.
FS Forest Service. This is an agency of the Department of Agriculture that manages public lands that have large forested areas.
Gears Refers to Ring and Pinion gears in the front and rear differential. The larger the number ratio the "lower" gears you have. (3.5:1 three point five to 1, 4.88:1 four point eighty eight to one)
Granny Low Term referring to first gear in transmissions. Older transmissions use to have a very low non-synchronized first gear.
Hi-Lift A utility jack favored by four wheelers for its ability to jack up vehicles with suspension lifts.
Locker A type of differential gear that incorporates some type of locking device to apply power to both axles in a differential at the same time.
Low Range The low gear set in a four wheel drive vehicles transfer case that is used when in four wheel drive low range.
Nerf Bars A term for the side protectors on four wheel drive vehicles that protect the underside of the doors from being hit by rocks.
Night Run A four wheel drive trip at night.
Off-Highway A term for recreation that involves driving on non-paved and maintained roads.
Off-Road An older term for recreation that involves driving on non-paved and maintained roads. This term was controversial due to the image of leaving established routes and was replaced with Off-Highway.
OHV Off Highway Vehicle. This acronym focuses on motorized vehicles and can include full size vehicles, not just All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and Motorcycles.
Pass Hoppers A term I use for describing an event where the goal is to cross as many passes as possible in a short period of time.
Pinstripping The scratches on vehicle paint left by brush and tree limbs.
Public Lands Lands administered by the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management or the State.
Rock Bars A term for the devices used to protect the underside of vehicle doors and quarter panels from rocks.
Rock Crawling A term for the four wheeling technique of driving over very large rock obstacles.
Roller Fairlead The front roller device on a winch used to guide the cable back onto the spool during winching.
Skid Plate Any protective plate on the underside of a vehicle. Skid plates are positioned to protect parts of the undercarriage that can be damaged by rocks or obstacles.
Step Refers to the step shaped rock obstacles in 4WD roads.
Strap A tow strap used to allow one vehicle to tug another vehicle out of a stuck situation.
SUV Sport Utility Vehicle. This term typically refers to vehicles designed for on and off highway use.
Wheeling A shorter term for Four Wheeling.
Winch A motor driven spool of cable used to pull vehicles when they are stuck.


If you have other terms for the Glossary, please send me an email with the term and it's definition.
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