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72-444: A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension , four-wheel steering , large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), they have evolved into purpose-built vehicles with tube-frame chassis and fiberglass bodies rather than metal. A competition monster truck

144-406: A methanol -based fuel, and have displacement of up to 575 cubic inches (9.42 L). Axles are mostly taken from either heavy-duty military trucks or road vehicles such as school buses, and are modified to have a planetary gear reduction at the hub to help turn the tires. All trucks have hydraulic steering in both the front and the rear ( four wheel steering ), with the front wheels controlled by

216-456: A station wagon , on a body comparable to that of a light truck , with four-wheel-drive drivetrains . Later, during the 1990s, as off-road vehicles became more popular, more companies started to produce their own line of what became known as Sport Utility Vehicles. Around this time, manufacturers began to add more features to allow off-road vehicles to compete in the consumer market with regular vehicles. Over time, this evolved into what we call

288-540: A Lenco transmission, which traces its roots to drag racing . Most of the automatic transmissions are heavily modified with transbrakes , manual valve bodies, and heavy duty gear sets. Trucks running a Lenco use a centrifugal clutch as opposed to a torque converter , which are used in automatic transmissions. Lenco transmissions are usually found in two-speed or three speed configurations, and are commonly shifted using compressed carbon dioxide. The trucks have many safety features, several of which are required just to run in

360-485: A better ride. Examples include the various rear suspensions of Austin-Healey 3000s and Fiat 128s . The earliest known leaf springs began appearing on carriages in France in the mid-17th century in the form of the two-part elbow spring (as the illustrated example from Lisbon), and later migrated to England and Germany, appearing on the carriages of the wealthy in those countries around 1750. Dr. Richard Lovell Edgeworth

432-535: A conventional car or truck to turn it into a half-track , suitable for use over rough or soft ground. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 , Kégresse returned to his native France where the system was used on Citroën cars between 1921 and 1937 for off-road and military vehicles . The Citroën company sponsored several overland expeditions with vehicles crossing North Africa and Central Asia . A huge wheeled vehicle designed from 1937 to 1939 under

504-594: A favourite material for blacksmiths . In countries such as India , Nepal , Bangladesh , Philippines , Myanmar and Pakistan , where traditional blacksmiths still produce a large amount of the country's tools, leaf springs from scrapped cars are frequently used to make knives, kukris , and other tools. They are also commonly used by amateur and hobbyist blacksmiths. Leaf springs have also replaced traditional coil springs in some trampolines (known as soft-edge trampolines), which improves safety for users and reduces risk of concussion. The leaf springs are spaced around

576-479: A few years most top-level teams built similar vehicles. In 1991, TNT was purchased by the USHRA and their points series were merged. The Special Events championship began to grow in popularity with teams as it had open qualifying spots which the invite-only USHRA championship did not have. The Special Events series lost its Pendaliner sponsorship in 1997. The short-lived ProMT series started in 2000. Even though racing

648-452: A higher center of gravity , therefore increasing the risk of rollover. When an SUV turns, the vehicle's mass resists the turn. This carries the SUV's weight forward, thus allowing the traction from the tires to create a lateral centripetal force as the vehicle continues through the turn. The conflict between the top weight of the SUV's desire to go straight and the friction of the tires on

720-470: A higher top speed. A tracked drivetrain has greater off-road capability. Tires play a significant role for any off-road vehicle equipped with wheels, ensuring optimal traction to keep it moving. The off-road tire tread types vary depending on the terrain type. The most common types of off-road tires are A/T (stands for "All Terrain") and M/T (stands for "Mud Terrain"). While the A/T tires perform excellently on

792-889: A judged competition at events, and now awards a freestyle championship. The USHRA's Monster Jam series, now owned by Feld Entertainment , is currently the largest, touring through the United States, Canada and select regions of Europe. Other promoters of monster truck events include the Toughest Monster Truck Tour, the Monster X Tour, and Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live. The first monster trucks built were pickup trucks and SUVs that were modified with larger suspension and larger tires. Today, trucks now have custom built tubular chassis, with four-link suspension to provide up to four feet (1.2 m) of clearance, and they also now have fiberglass bodies that attach to

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864-512: A leaf spring usually are formed into round eyes or eyelets, through which a fastener connects each end of the spring to the vehicle frame or body . Some springs terminated in a concave end, called a spoon end (seldom used now), to carry a swivelling member instead. One eye is usually fixed but allowed to pivot with the motion of the spring, whereas the other eye is fastened to a hinge mechanism that allows that end to pivot and undergo limited movement. A leaf spring can either be attached directly to

936-555: A light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad (if it has four wheels), as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat that is straddled by the operator, and has handlebars. As the name implies, it is designed to handle a wider variety of terrain than most other vehicles. It is street-legal in some countries, but not in most states, territories and provinces of Australia,

1008-516: A major role in the sport's development in the US and EU. With racing taking precedence, several teams began to think in new ways as to how the trucks could be built. Towards the end of 1988, Gary Cook and David Morris debuted Equalizer, a truck with a combination of coil springs and shock absorbers as the main source of suspension rather than the standard of leaf springs and shock absorbers. In 1989, Jack Willman Sr., now with his own truck, Taurus, debuted

1080-616: A monster truck was achieved in 2013 by Joey Sylvester in Bad Habit at a distance of 237.7 feet (72.5 m). The first monster truck backflip in a scored competition was achieved in 2010 by Cam McQueen in Nitro Circus. The first monster truck front flip in a scored competition was achieved in 2017 by Lee O'Donnell in VP Racing Fuels' Mad Scientist at Monster Jam World Finals 18. In June 2020, with touring suspended due to

1152-629: A new truck which used a solid axle suspension system made of parallel four-link suspensions and coilovers that together weighed in at close to 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg). However, the biggest innovation came from Chandler, also in 1989, when the CAD-designed Bigfoot #8 debuted featuring a full tubular chassis and a long-travel suspension system made of triangulated four-link suspensions, bump stops, limit straps, cantilevers , and shock absorbers charged with nitrogen gas. The truck revolutionized how monster trucks were built, and within

1224-483: A race and a freestyle stunt driving competition, with an intermission at the midway point of the event. Races are conducted as a single-elimination tournament on short, symmetrical tracks, which may include obstacles such as junk cars or dirt mounds. The length and complexity of the track can vary with the size of the venue, with courses in indoor arenas typically being shorter with fewer obstacles. This has drawn comparisons to professional drag racing , and depending on

1296-465: A set time limit and only one truck is allowed on the track at a time as a safety measure. Freestyle events are typically the final competition of a show, as damage to the trucks would make them unable to race. In the late 1970s, heavily modified pickup trucks were becoming popular and the sports of mud bogging and truck pulling were gaining in popularity. Several truck owners had created lifted trucks to compete in such events, and soon competition to hold

1368-525: A standard gearbox often has an output speed too high. The vehicle often has one of two things, either a very low ("granny") first gear (like the all-wheel drive Volkswagen Transporter versions) or an additional gearbox in line with the first, called a reduction drive . Some vehicles, like the Bv206 in the picture on the right, also have torque converters to reduce the gearing. SUVs are built with higher ground clearance , for off-road use, and thus have

1440-407: A stock body, and heavy axles from military-specification vehicles to support the tires. For most of the early 1980s, monster trucks performed primarily exhibitions as a side show to truck pulling or mud bogging events. In August 1983, Bigfoot and USA-1 competed in the first side-by-side monster truck race, which was filmed for the television show That's Incredible . By 1985 major promoters, such as

1512-493: Is Bigfoot 5 , built in 1986, with tires that measure 10 feet (3.0 m). The world's longest monster truck is the Sin City Hustler, which measures 32 feet (9.8 m) long and was created by Brad and Jen Campbell in 2014. The fastest speed record for a monster truck was achieved on August 6, 2022, by Joe Sylvester in Bad Habit at a speed of 101.84 miles per hour (163.90 km/h). The longest ramp jump done by

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1584-602: Is a list of accidents resulting in fatalities. On January 16, 2009, at a Monster Jam event in Tacoma, Washington 6-year-old Sebastian Hizey was fatally injured when he was struck by flying debris from the truck Natural High. Hizey succumbed to his injuries the next morning. On January 25, 2009, the monster truck Samson was involved in an accident in Madison, Wisconsin that caused the death of announcer George Eisenhart, Jr. after he accidentally stepped in front of Samson while it

1656-413: Is a simple form of spring commonly used for suspension in wheeled vehicles . Originally called a laminated or carriage spring , and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring , elliptical spring , or cart spring , it is one of the oldest forms of vehicle suspension. A leaf spring is one or more narrow, arc-shaped, thin plates that are attached to the axle and chassis in a way that allows

1728-507: Is characterized by fewer leaves whose thickness varies from centre to ends following a parabolic curve . The intention of this design is to reduce inter-leaf friction, and therefore there is only contact between the leaves at the ends and at the centre, where the axle is connected. Spacers prevent contact at other points. Aside from weight-saving, the main advantage of parabolic springs is their greater flexibility, which translates into improved ride quality , which approaches that of coil springs;

1800-415: Is not well controlled, resulting in stiction and irregular suspension motions. For this reason, some manufacturers have used mono-leaf springs. A leaf spring takes the form of a slender arc -shaped length of spring steel of a rectangular cross-section. In the most common configuration, the centre of the arc provides the location for the axle , while loops formed at either end provide for attaching to

1872-480: Is specified by the Stubbs or Birmingham gauge , with typical thicknesses ranging between 0.203 to 0.375 in (5.2 to 9.5 mm) (6 to 3/8 or 00 gauge). The material and dimensions should be selected such that each leaf is capable of being hardened to have a fully martensitic structure throughout the entire section. Suitable spring steel alloys include 55Si7, 60Si7, 65Si7, 50Cr4V2, and 60Cr4V2. The two ends of

1944-508: Is typically 12 feet (3.7 m) tall, and equipped with 66-inch (1.7 m) off-road tires. Monster trucks developed in the late 1970s and came into the public eye in the early 1980s as side acts at popular motocross , tractor pulling , and mud bogging events, where they were used in car-crushing demonstrations. Today they are usually the main attraction with motocross, mud bogging, ATV racing, or demolition derbies as supporting events. Monster truck shows typically have two main segments;

2016-684: The COVID-19 pandemic , Monster Jam staged an event for pay-per-view called Monster Jam Breaking World Records in Bradenton, Florida . As part of the event, many new Guinness-recognized world records were set. These include the highest ramp jump by a monster truck by Krysten Anderson in Grave Digger at a height of 10.3 metres (34 ft), the most monster trucks jumped by a monster truck, by Adam Anderson in Megalodon, jumping over 8 trucks,

2088-608: The Hotchkiss drive . That employed the lower arc, hence its name. "Quarter-elliptic" springs often had the thickest part of the stack of leaves stuck into the rear end of the side pieces of a short ladder frame, with the free end attached to the differential, as in the Austin Seven of the 1920s. As an example of non-elliptic leaf springs, the Ford Model T had multiple leaf springs over its differential that were curved in

2160-505: The SUV today. It also evolved into the newer crossover vehicle , where utility and off-road capability were sacrificed for better on-road handling and luxury. To be able to drive off the pavement , off-road vehicles need several characteristics: They need to have a low ground pressure , so as not to sink into soft ground, they need a lot of ground clearance , to not get stuck on obstacles, and they need to keep their wheels or tracks on

2232-506: The Sierra Club , publish and encourage appropriate trail ethics . ORVs have also been criticized for producing more pollution in areas that might normally have none. In addition to noise pollution that can cause hearing impairment and stress in wildlife, according to the U.S. Forest Service , old-style two-stroke engines (no longer a component of new off-road vehicles, although some are still in use) "emit about 20 to 33 percent of

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2304-419: The frame at both eyes or attached directly at one end, usually the front, with the other end attached through a shackle: a short swinging arm. The shackle takes up the tendency of the leaf spring to elongate when compressed and thus makes the suspension softer. The shackle provides some degree of flexibility to the leaf spring so that it does not fail when subjected to heavy loads. The axle is usually fastened to

2376-550: The road causes the bottom of the vehicle to move away and out from under the SUV during a turn. SUVs are more likely to be in rollover accidents than passenger cars . According to a study conducted in the United States , SUVs have twice the fatality rate of passenger cars and have nearly triple the fatality rate in rollover accidents. In the United States, light trucks (including SUVs ) represent 36 percent of all registered vehicles. They are involved in about half of

2448-448: The steering wheel and the rear wheels by a toggle switch . The tires are typically "terra" tires used on farm equipment, and are of size 66-inch (170 cm) in diameter, 43-inch (110 cm) in width, and fit on 25-inch (64 cm) diameter rims. Most trucks use a modified or custom-designed automatic transmission, such as a Turbo 400 , Powerglide , Ford C6 transmission , or a TorqueFlite 727. A limited number of trucks utilize

2520-459: The British inventor Obadiah Elliott , referred to two circular arcs linked at their tips. This was joined to the frame at the top centre of the upper arc, the bottom centre was joined to the "live" suspension components, such as a solid front axle. Additional suspension components, such as trailing arms , would usually be needed for this design, but not for "semi-elliptical" leaf springs as used in

2592-619: The USHRA and TNT Motorsports , were racing monster trucks regularly. In 1988, TNT Motorsports created a series to establish the first national championship of monster truck racing; USA-1 and rookie driver Rod Litzau edged out Bigfoot, driven by Rich Hoosier, for the title. In 1988, to standardize rules for truck construction and safety, Bob Chandler, Braden, and George Carpenter formed the Monster Truck Racing Association (MTRA). The MTRA created standard safety rules to govern monster trucks. The organization still plays

2664-488: The United States, and Canada. By the current ANSI definition, ATVs are intended for use by a single operator, but some ATVs, referred to as tandem ATVs, have been developed for use by the driver and one passenger. The military market for off-road vehicles used to be large, but, since the fall of the Iron Curtain in the 1990s, it has dried up to some extent. The U.S. jeeps , developed during World War II , coined

2736-400: The advantage of spreading the load more widely over the vehicle's chassis, whereas coil springs transfer it to a single point. Unlike coil springs, leaf springs also locate the rear axle, eliminating the need for trailing arms and a Panhard rod , thereby saving cost and weight in a simple live axle rear suspension. A further advantage of a leaf spring over a helical spring is that the end of

2808-431: The cab for visibility. Most cabs are shielded with Lexan or comparable polycarbonate, which not only protects the driver from track debris, but also allows for increased visibility. Drivers are required to wear firesuits , safety harnesses , helmets , and head and neck restraints . Most moving parts on the truck are also shielded, and high pressure components have restraining straps, both in case of an explosion. Below

2880-406: The chassis separately and are designed to be easily removed and easily replaced when damaged. The use of fiberglass panel bodies has allowed monster truck owners to develop a wide variety of thematic concept trucks that scarcely resemble the modified stock trucks that became early monster trucks. Engines are now typically mounted behind the driver on most trucks and are typically supercharged, run on

2952-506: The consumed fuel through the exhaust" and "discharge from two-stroke snowmobile engines can lead to indirect pollutant deposition into the top layer of snow and subsequently into the associated surface and groundwater." In 2002, the United States Environmental Protection Agency adopted emissions standards for all-terrain vehicles that "when fully implemented in 2012... are expected to prevent

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3024-714: The direction of Thomas Poulter called Antarctic Snow Cruiser , was intended to facilitate transport in Antarctica . While having several innovative features, it generally failed to operate as hoped under difficult conditions and was eventually abandoned in Antarctica. Early off-road vehicles, such as the U.S. Jeep Wagoneer and Ford Bronco , the British Range Rover , and the station wagon -bodied Japanese Toyota Land Cruiser , Nissan Patrol , and Suzuki Lj's series were all had bodies similar to those of

3096-447: The drivers to crush, such as motor homes and school buses, were placed on the track specifically for the freestyle event, however incidents of debris flying into the stands and causing serious injuries have influenced most event promoters to turn away from such obstacles. Most freestyle courses now consist mostly of large mounds and ramps erected to allow the trucks to perform large jumps and wheelies upon landing. Freestyle performances have

3168-401: The environment than foot traffic alone, and ORV operators who attempt to test their vehicles against natural obstacles can do significantly more damage than those who follow legal trails. Illegal use of off-road vehicles has been identified as a serious land management problem ranked with dumping garbage and other forms of vandalism . Many user organizations, such as Tread Lightly! and

3240-680: The fatal two-vehicle crashes with passenger cars, and 80 percent of these fatalities are to occupants of passenger cars. In the United States , the number of ORV users since 1972 has climbed sevenfold—from five million to 36 million in 2000. Government policies that protect wilderness but also allow recreational ORVs, have been the subject of some debate within the United States and other countries. All trail and off-trail activities impact natural vegetation and wildlife, which can lead to erosion , invasive species , habitat loss , and ultimately, species loss decreasing an ecosystem 's ability to maintain homeostasis . ORVs cause greater stress to

3312-566: The feat in the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982. At this show, Chandler also debuted a new version of Bigfoot with 66-inch (170 cm) tires. At a prior event in the early 1980s, when Bigfoot was still running 48-inch (120 cm) tires, Bob George, one of the owners of a motorsport promotion company named Truck-a-rama – later known as the United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) – is said to have coined

3384-475: The first monster truck to crush cars. Chandler drove Bigfoot over a pair of cars in a field as a test of the truck's ability, and filmed it to use as a promotional tool in his four-wheel drive performance shop. An event promoter saw the video of the car crush and asked Chandler to do it in front of a crowd. Initially hesitant because of the "destructive" image that could be associated with Bigfoot, Chandler eventually agreed. After some smaller shows, Chandler performed

3456-451: The front suspension of the 1983 Corvette . This arrangement uses a straight leaf spring that is tightly secured to the chassis at the centre; the ends of the spring are bolted to the wheel suspension, allowing the spring to work independently on each wheel. This suspension is smaller, flatter and lighter than a traditional setup. Multi-leaf springs are made as follows. Because leaf springs are made of relatively high quality steel, they are

3528-456: The ground, so as not to lose traction. Wheeled vehicles accomplish this by having a suitable balance of large or additional tires, combined with tall and flexible suspension . Tracked vehicles accomplish this by having wide tracks and flexible suspension on the road wheels. The choice of wheels versus tracks is one of cost and suitability. A tracked drivetrain is more expensive to produce and maintain. Wheeled drivetrains are cheaper and give

3600-410: The indoor arenas that the trucks frequent. Trucks are equipped with three shut-off switches: a remote ignition interrupt (RII), which allows event stewards to stop a truck remotely, a switch within the driver's reach in the cab, and another at the rear of the truck so that all electrical power may be shut off in the event of a rollover. Many trucks are constructed with the driver sitting in the center of

3672-504: The latter half of the 19th century as well, making the manufacture of leaf springs more consistent and less expensive. Leaf springs were very common on automobiles until the 1970s when automobile manufacturers shifted primarily to front-wheel drive , and more sophisticated suspension designs were developed using coil springs instead. Today leaf springs are still used in heavy commercial vehicles such as vans and trucks , SUVs , and railway carriages . For heavy vehicles, they have

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3744-412: The leaf both supports an axle and locates/partially locates the axle. This can lead to handling issues (such as "axle tramp"), as the flexible nature of the spring makes precise control of the unsprung mass of the axle difficult. Some suspension designs use a Watts link (or a Panhard rod ) and radius arms to locate the axle and do not have this drawback. Such designs can use softer springs, resulting in

3816-416: The leaf spring is also serving to hold the axle in position, soft springs—i.e. springs with low spring constant—are not suitable. The consequent stiffness, in addition to inter-leaf friction, makes this type of suspension not particularly comfortable for the riders. There are a variety of leaf springs, usually employing the word "elliptical". "Elliptical" or "full elliptical" leaf springs, patented in 1804 by

3888-465: The leaf spring may be guided along a definite path. In many late 1990s and early 2000s trucks, the leaf spring is connected to a Hinkle Beam ball joint. The leaf spring also has seen modern applications in cars. For example, the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray uses a transverse leaf spring for its independent rear suspension. Similarly, 2016 Volvo XC90 has a transverse leaf spring using composite materials for its rear suspension, similar in concept to

3960-455: The leaf spring to flex vertically in response to irregularities in the road surface. Lateral leaf springs are the most commonly used arrangement, running the length of the vehicle and mounted perpendicular to the wheel axle, but numerous examples of transverse leaf springs exist as well. Leaf springs can serve multiple suspension functions: location, springing, and to some extent damping as well, through interleaf friction. However, this friction

4032-400: The middle of the spring by U-bolts . The leaf spring acts as a linkage to hold the axle in position and thus separate linkages are not necessary. The result is a suspension that is simple and strong. Inter-leaf friction dampens the spring's motion and reduces rebound, which, until shock absorbers were widely adopted, was a very significant advantage over helical springs . However, because

4104-577: The most donuts (spins) in a monster truck in one minute by Bari Musawwir in Zombie, spinning 44 times, the most consecutive donuts (spins), also by Musawwir, with 58, the longest stoppie (nose wheelie) by Tom Meents in Max-D , at 63.77 metres (209.2 ft), the farthest bicycle (side wheelie) by Ryan Anderson in Son Uva Digger, at 271.83 metres (891.8 ft), and the longest monster truck wheelie

4176-613: The other leaves are tapered at each end. Sometimes auxiliary or rebound leaves are part of the main spring pack, in which case the auxiliary leaf closest to the main leaf is No. 1, the next closest is No. 2, etc. The leaves are attached to each other through the centre bolt, which is at or near the mid-point along the length of the leaf spring. To ensure that leaves remain aligned laterally, several methods can be used, including notches and grooves between leaves or external clips. Spring steels were discovered to be most efficient at approximately 1% carbon content. Individual leaf thickness

4248-439: The phrase "monster truck" when referring to Bigfoot. The term "monster truck" became the generic name for all trucks with oversized tires. King Kong and Bear Foot each followed Bigfoot to 66-inch-diameter (1.7 m) tires, and soon other monster trucks, such as King Krunch, Maddog, and Virginia Giant were being constructed. These early trucks were built on stock chassis which were heavily reinforced, used leaf spring suspension,

4320-460: The promoter or size of the event, may even make use of a christmas tree starting procedure. In freestyle events, each driver puts on a performance consisting of stunts such as obstacle jumps, backflips, wheelies , and doughnuts . A panel of judges assign points to each performance and the driver with the most points is declared the winner, though the exact scoring format can change from promoter to promoter. Historically, additional vehicles for

4392-470: The release of more than two million tons of air pollution each year—the equivalent of removing the pollution from more than 32 million cars every year." Common commercial vehicles used for off-roading include four-wheel-drive pickup trucks and SUVs such as the Ford F-Series , Jeep Wrangler , and Toyota Land Cruiser , among others. Typically, owners will perform additional modifications to

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4464-476: The sand, they are barely usable in the mud. There are also unique Sand Blaster and Mud bogging tires used for the most challenging terrains such as dirt, sand, and even water to maintain traction at extreme angles and high speeds (off-road motorsport ). Most off-road vehicles are fitted with low gearing . This allows the operator to optimize the engine 's available power while moving slowly through challenging terrain. An internal combustion engine coupled to

4536-420: The shape of a yoke . As a substitute for dampers ( shock absorbers ), some manufacturers laid non-metallic sheets in between the metal leaves, such as wood. Elliot's invention revolutionized carriage design and construction, removing the need for a heavy perch and making transportation over rough roadways faster, easier, and less expensive. A more modern implementation is the parabolic leaf spring. This design

4608-472: The title of "biggest truck" developed. The trucks which garnered the most national attention were Bob Chandler's Bigfoot , Everett Jasmer's USA-1 , Fred Shafer and Jack Willman Sr.'s Bear Foot , and Jeff Dane's King Kong. At the time, the largest tires the trucks were running were 48 inches (1.2 m) in diameter. In April 1981, Bob Chandler drove over junked cars in Bigfoot in what is often believed to be

4680-575: The trade-off is reduced load carrying capability. They are widely used on buses for improved comfort. A further development by the British GKN company and by Chevrolet, with the Corvette, among others, is the move to composite plastic leaf springs. Nevertheless, due to the lack of inter-leaf friction and other internal dampening effects, this type of spring requires more powerful dampers/shock absorbers. Typically when used in automobile suspension

4752-413: The vehicle chassis. For very heavy vehicles, a leaf spring can be made from several leaves stacked on top of each other in several layers, often with progressively shorter leaves. The longest leaf is also known as the main, master, or No. 1 leaf, with leaves numbered in descending order of length. The eyes at the end of the leaf spring are formed into the master leaf. In general, aside from the main leaf,

4824-642: The wheels, tires, suspension, and body to improve their performance off-road. Several decommissioned military vehicles have also been used by civilians, including the Jeep CJ and the AM General Hummer . Some, like the early Land Rovers , were adapted to military use from civilian specifications. Specialized off-road vehicles include Utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), All-terrain vehicles (ATVs), dirt bikes , dune buggies , rock crawlers , and sandrails . An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as

4896-737: The word many people use for any light off-road vehicle. In the U.S., the Jeeps' successor from the mid-1980s was the AM General HMMWV series. The Red Army used the GAZ-61 and GAZ-64 during World War II . The Eastern Bloc used the GAZ-69 and UAZ-469 in similar roles. Vehicles used as the primary transport in an expedition , not for profit, scientific research or personal use. [REDACTED] Media related to Off-road vehicles at Wikimedia Commons Leaf spring A leaf spring

4968-559: Was by Adam Anderson in Grave Digger, at 190.46 m (624 ft 10.44 in). Off-road vehicle One of the first modified off-road vehicles was the Kégresse track , a conversion undertaken first by Adolphe Kégresse , who designed the original while working for Czar Nicholas II of Russia , between 1906 and 1916. The system uses a caterpillar track with a flexible belt, rather than interlocking metal segments. It can be fitted to

5040-859: Was awarded three gold medals by the Society of English Arts and Manufacturers in 1768 for demonstrating the superiority of sprung carriages. By 1796, William Felton 's A Treatise on Carriages showed that leaf springs were being marketed regularly by the late 18th century carriage industry. Obadiah Elliot is credited with inventing the modern leaf spring with his 1804 patent on elliptical leaf springs, which brought him significant recognition and revenue, and engineers began studying leaf springs to develop improved designs and manufacturing processes. The mechanics and deflection of leaf springs were developed by Clark (1855), Franz Reuleaux (1861), and G.R. Henderson (1894). Improved steel rolling processes, process instruments, and spring steel alloys were developed during

5112-409: Was dominant as a competition, USHRA events began having freestyle exhibitions as early as 1993. These exhibitions were developed as drivers, notably Dennis Anderson of the extremely popular Grave Digger , began asking for time to come out and perform if they lost in early rounds of racing. Promoters began to notice the popularity of freestyle among fans, and in 2000 the USHRA began holding freestyle as

5184-651: Was moving. On October 6, 2013, the monster truck Big Show plowed into a crowd of spectators in Chihuahua City , Mexico, killing 8 people and injuring 79 others in the Chihuahua monster truck accident . This is the deadliest monster truck incident in the history of the sport. On September 29, 2014, a monster truck named Eurol's King On Wheels plowed into a crowd of spectators in Haaksbergen, Netherlands , killing three people. The world's biggest monster truck

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