Words.

[Mollysdad]

I'm curious, I hear words used here that I've never heard.
"Goucho" for seating area, and "Stinger" for hitch shank.

I wonder where they originated?
Can you think of more?

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I believe that the goucho term is actually from AS advertising. I *assumed* that the stinger term came from Hensley or ProPride manuals. Put another way, they are something a marketing department came up with .... Could be I'm just confused ... yet again ....

Bob

[rmkrum]

Sometimes I'm convinced the Hensley/ProPride 'stinger' is a reference to what happens to your shins when you run into one of them. At least "stinger' is more polite than the usual string of profanity that results from such a collision...

More likely, its a reference to the way the parts go together when hooking up--

[blkmagikca]

Our AS has a gaucho sofa. The action to open it is different from all other bed-sofas. It's not a hide-a-bed, or a Davenport. Think in terms of how you would bring a sofa bed into an AS through the door and install it. The gaucho opened up is like carrying a 4-inch thick 4 by 8 piece of foam through the doorway and into the AS. It mounts on a steel fame with two clamps around the steel drill rod - 4 bolts. Much much easier than trying to shoehorn in a hide-a-bed.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by blkmagikca

Our AS has a gaucho sofa. The action to open it is different from all other bed-sofas. It's not a hide-a-bed, or a Davenport. Think in terms of how you would bring a sofa bed into an AS through the door and install it. The gaucho opened up is like carrying a 4-inch thick 4 by 8 piece of foam through the doorway and into the AS.

Sounds like a futon to me.

gau·cho
ˈɡouCHō
noun
a cowboy of the South American pampas.

[blkmagikca]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Sounds like a futon to me.

gau·cho
ˈɡouCHō
noun
a cowboy of the South American pampas.

No, it's not a futon. The mattress for the gaucho is actually split into 2 distinct pieces. Unfortunately, there are no videos of this on youtube. Basically, the part of the sofa you sit on does not move, but the backrest swings up and forward and then rotates and lies flush with the seat part at the forward edge. The whole mattress does have a hinge at the very rear so that it can be lifted to gain access to what is behind it, namely the battery boxes and charger/convertor, in my case two huge size 4D AGM batteries and the Xantrex Freedom 3012 convertor/charger/inverter.

[AlanMcD]

The stinger is the part that comes out of the hitch reciever on the truck for a Pro Pride and a Hensley sway control hitch. They don't use a ball but instead have a shank or stinger that protrudes out of the receiver 10" or so where the ball would be on other hitches like an Equalizer.

[AlanMcD]

(Image pulled from the internet)

[rmkrum]

The two rather beefy tabs on the sides of the 'stinger' accommodate the over-center latches mounted on the head that hold the hitch head and stinger together whilst towing. A couple safety locking pins go in the small holes. Hensley Manufacturing and ProPride are very similar, ProPride is quite a bit 'chunkier' in its construction.

The picture is of a typical ProPride adjustable stinger assembly, and it's very apparent this one has been adjusted for height at least once, based on the pattern of the missing paint.

It also shows signs of a great deal of use, probably by a very happy owner...

The "stinger" name probably comes from the fact that it is inserted into the hitch head when hooking up. My theory is that since it sticks out quite a bit when not hitched up, is down where it is hard to spot, and clobbers the heck out of the unwary shin, the effect is a "..get ready for a lot of stinging**'"when you do run into it.

** Part of my favorite line from the "Over The Hedge" movie...a genuine riot, if you ever followed the comic strip.

[Al and Missy]

RE: Gaucho - Thanks. I wasn't aware that the back came down n front of the seat. I guess I have a "jackknife". My seat slides forward and the back comes down behind it.


RE: Stinger - My guess is that the back end of the truck looks like the back end of a bee.


Al

[rmkrum]

RE: Stinger:

Operationally determined this is the absolutely correct name for this assembly of about 90 pounds of solid 2" steel bars and 1/2 inch gusset plates, as of yesterday evening.

Had to move the AS last night so I can work on a few things. Hoisted the stinger into place on the truck, found the 5/8" pin for the receiver, but not the locking clip. Went out of the garage to find a substitute. Came back, installed a chunk of wire to safe the pin. Got back up, promptly slammed left shin into the blankety-blank edge of the stinger. Now shin still stings, nice scab over the cut and a nice purple bruise this morning. "Clumsy Carp" and I must be brothers...

QED.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

. . . promptly slammed left shin into the blankety-blank edge of the stinger. Now shin still stings, nice scab over the cut and a nice purple bruise this morning.
. . .

Maybe this is where they got the name "Stinger" . . . ?

[rmkrum]

I would bet that's where the name came from...its still hurtin'

I just had to move the trailer a mile or so--I didn't expect shin damage...you would think I had this figured out better by now.

Working alone in the solid dark, it took only 2 tries to get the stinger into the head. elapsed time from start to drive away about 20 minutes total. When I got the AS in front of the "up the hill" house, I was exactly 10 inches off the curb and parallel to it, as planned, no brag. Just had to back up a bit to center between both of our driveways and unhitch. Other than shin damage, a reasonable night's exercise--although it was still 90 degrees out at 9:00 PM, down from 108 during the day...sigh.

Spent the rest of the evening drinking a lot of cool water, enjoying air conditioning, and watching news coverage of the brush fires. One is a few miles south of our Corona house. Wife reports red sun through the smoke all day today. Dogs don't even want to go out in the smoke haze around the neighborhood. No danger, but keeping a very close eye on the situation. Part of the trailer move was to have it quickly available if family has to load stuff and scoot.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Part of the trailer move was to have it quickly available if family has to load stuff and scoot.

I hope it all turns out well. Keep us posted.

[OTRA15]

The good news is that you now have plenty of free time for The Argue Thread!

I have done some equally stupid things over and over . . . and over and over . . .



“Haste makes waste” is often the lesson on this coast.



Take it easy and heal well.

Peter

[Wrangler]

Not only Airstream has a Gaucho. In the ‘60s when my parents bought their trailer (a Yellowstone). It, and many of the others that we looked at had Gauchos.

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

The good news is that you now have plenty of free time for The Argue Thread!

I have done some equally stupid things over and over . . . and over and over . . .



“Haste makes waste” is often the lesson on this coast.



Take it easy and heal well.

Peter

But consider this, with practice, I'm getting darn good at doing this!

Superficial damage--I was wearing heavy blue jeans that took the really sharp edge out of the picture. But it bled a bit, and sure did sting!

I always hurry up slowly. Did the whole hookup checklist down to the three walkarounds, low, middle, and high before I pulled out. This time I did remember to pull tire chocks before I put TV in gear...