Is a wagon only a rigid? Or is an Artic also called a wagon? If it’s not, what do you call an Artic?
stu675:
Is a wagon only a rigid? Or is an Artic also called a wagon? If it’s not, what do you call an Artic?
The prime mover of an articulated combination is a tractor unit. A rigid is a “wagon”, and a rigid + trailer is a “wagon and drag”.
The difference is how the trailer load is spread. An artic (or any 5th wheel coupling) puts more load on the tractor unit than a drawbar trailer does on the “wagon”.
Further to the above an artic’s trailer is strictly a “semi-trailer” not a trailer.
Hence LST “larger semi-trailer”.
Semi because half, or part, of the weight is on the prime moved or tractor (puller) vehicle “half” the weight on the trailer wheels. The USA and others call artics “semis”. A trailer, as said, puts all the weight through its own wheels, and none (very little) through the tractor vehicle.
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The original names for lots of things get mixed and lose their original meaning over time.
So the people from Yorkshire haven’t got some cool name for an Artic?
Driving with a mate from Yorkshire he was always warning me of a wagon coming.
Wagon, Truck, Lorry… (and lets not forget “juggernaut” 
)
“A rose by any other name” sums it up, it really doesn’t matter, and if someone tells you it does matter, that’s a good point to open the “susies” versus “suzies” debate we’ve seen on here before 
stu675:
So the people from Yorkshire haven’t got some cool name for an Artic?
Driving with a mate from Yorkshire he was always warning me of a wagon coming.
When Im talking with mates (honest, Ive got some!) I`ll talk about lorries/trucks/wagons with very little discrimination between them all.
But the words all started from different places, and end up meaning different things in different places and different age groups.
“Truck” was 30(?) plus years ago an American name for a lorry, or was a thing that removals men used to shift pianos. See “sack-truck” too. I used to hate “truck” for lorries but use it now. Life is too short to be too fussed.
“Wagons” were the dirty 4 wheel things that were filled with coal and ran on rail lines, or were loaded with hay and pulled by horses.
Ever wonder why we are “drivers”? Driving haulage animals?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagonway
In terms of etymology, I believe the word wagon can be traced to horse drawn vehicles often used on wooden tracks, such as the like that were seen before the industrial revolution. As time has gone on, of course it has referred to both drawn vehicles and self-powered vehicles. Perhaps the connection with railways comes from the fact that the wagons were pulled on tracks in trains consisting of a series of wagons.
If you do an image search for wagon wheel, you will get pictures of wooden type wheels and also possibly chocolate covered marshmallow type biscuits.
I think the old spelling in regards to horse drawn was waggon and the modern spelling which mainly refers to motors is wagon 
Franglais:
Further to the above an artic’s trailer is strictly a “semi-trailer” not a trailer.
Hence LST “larger semi-trailer”.
Semi because half, or part, of the weight is on the prime moved or tractor (puller) vehicle “half” the weight on the trailer wheels. The USA and others call artics “semis”. A trailer, as said, puts all the weight through its own wheels, and none (very little) through the tractor vehicle.
.
The original names for lots of things get mixed and lose their original meaning over time.
Wow everyday really is a school day! [emoji106]
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I think Wagon is more of a Northern thing? For a Rigid or an Artic
Depending on where you come from they can be called Camion as well.
Think its just a nickname that’s stuck like Wheeled Excavators get called Rubber Duck’s or Forklift gets shortened to Forks.
A Semi over here means something quite different so probably why that never caught on!