Monster truck
Encyclopedia
A monster truck is a pickup truck
, typically styled after pickup truck
s' bodies, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheel
s and suspension
. They are used for competition and popular sports entertainment
and in some cases they are featured alongside motocross
races, mud bogging
, tractor pulls and car-eating robots
.
A monster truck show sometimes involves the truck crushing smaller vehicles beneath its huge tires, such as smart cars and other tiny things. These trucks can run up and over most man-made barriers, so they are equipped with remote shut-off switches, called the Remote Ignition Interruptor (RII), to help prevent an accident if the driver loses control at any time. At some events, only one truck is on the course at a time, while most feature two drivers racing each other on symmetrical tracks, with the losing driver eliminated in single-elimination tournament fashion. The losing driver's car is also usually destroyed with- dynamite, fire, crushing machines, and massive explosions.
In recent years, many monster truck competitions have ended with a "freestyle
" event. Somewhat akin to figure skating
with giant trucks, drivers are free to select their own course around the track and its obstacles. Drivers will often try "donuts
", wheelstands and jumps during this segment. Additional items for the drivers to crush, usually including a motor home, are frequently placed on the track specifically for the freestyle event. Other obstacles sometimes placed on the track include school buses and small airplanes.
In the late 1970s, 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 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 in diameter.
In April 1981, Bob Chandler drove over cars in a rc car what is often believed to be 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 caved in. After some smaller shows, Chandler performed the feat in the Pontiac Silverdome
in 1982. At this show, Chandler also debuted a new version of Bigfoot with 66 inch (1.7 m) diameter tires. At a prior event in the early 80's when BIGFOOT was still running 48″ terra tires, Bob George, one of the owners of a motorsport promotion company named Truck-a-rama (now the USHRA), is said to have coined the phrase "monster truck" when referring to BIGFOOT. The term "monster truck" became the generic name for all trucks with oversized terra tires.
Debate over who did the first car crush is often discussed. There are claims that in the late 1970s, Jeff Dane's King Kong (who referred to his truck as the "Bigger Foot") had crushed cars at Great Lakes Dragway in Union Grove, Wisconsin. Another truck, known as High Roller, also claimed to have documented car crushes in Washington State before Bigfoot, though said documentation has never surfaced. Cyclops, then owned by the Dykman Brothers, also claims to have crushed burning cars before Bigfoot. However, the earliest, widely-available and verified video footage showing a monster truck crushing cars that exists shows Bob Chandler driving Bigfoot while crushing two mid-seventies automobiles in April 1981. This video was what the promoter viewed that motivated him to ask Chandler to perform the car crush in front of a crowd.
King Kong and Bear Foot each followed Bigfoot to 66 inches (1,676.4 mm) tires, and soon other monster trucks, such as King Krunch, Maddog, and Virginia Giant were being constructed. These early trucks were built off of stock chassis which were heavily reinforced, used leaf spring
suspension, a stock body, and heavy military axles to support the tires. As a result, the trucks were incredibly heavy (usually 13,000 to 20,000 lb.) and most times had to crawl up onto the cars.
For most of the early 1980s, monster trucks performed primarily exhibitions as a side show to truck pulling or mud bogging events. In 1985, major promoters, such as the USHRA and TNT Motorsports
, began racing monster trucks on a regular basis. The races, as they are today, were in the form of single elimination drag races
, held over a course littered with obstacles. The change to racing eventually led truck owners to begin building lighter trucks, with more power. The establishment of TNT's first-ever monster truck points championship in 1988 expedited the process and found teams beginning to use straight-rail frames, fiberglass
bodies, and lighter axle components to shave weight and gain speed.
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 a major role in the sport's development in the USA and EU.
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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 spring
s and shock absorbers as the main source of suspension rather than the standard of leaf spring
s and shock absorbers. In 1989, Jack Willman Sr., now with his own truck, Taurus, debuted a new truck which used a four-link suspension system and large coilover
shock absorbers, and that weighed in at close to 9,000 lb. The ultimate coup de grâce
, however, came from Chandler, also in 1989, whose Bigfoot VIII featured a full tubular chassis and a long-travel suspension using cantilever
s and nitrogen
shock absorbers to control the suspension. The truck revolutionized how monster trucks were built, and within a few years most top level teams built similar vehicles.
In 1991, TNT was purchased by 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 1996, but the series is still running. The short-lived ProMT
series started in 2000.
Although racing 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 USHRA began holding freestyle as a judged competition at events, and now even awards a freestyle championship.
Monster Jam is currently the largest and premier monster truck event promoter, touring not only through the United States, but Canada and select regions of Europe. Other promoters of monster truck events include Checkered Flag Productions, AMP Tour, Special Events 4 Wheel & Off Road Jamboree, Major League of Monster Trucks, Extreme Monster Truck Nationals, MTRSS, Monster Truck Challenge and Monster Nationals.
A modern monster truck is more of a scaled up, four wheel drive
dune buggy
. As such, they generally aren't actual "trucks" and only maintain their name due to the common style of fiberglass bodies used on the vehicles. Trucks now have custom built tubular chassis, with four-link suspensions to provide up to four feet of clearance. Mounted just behind the driver on most trucks are the engines, which are typically supercharged
, run on alcohol
, and have displacement
up to 575 cubic inches (9.42 L). Axles are typically out of either heavy-duty military trucks or road vehicles like 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 the steering wheel
and the rear wheels by a toggle switch. The tires are typically "Terra" tires used on fertilizer spreaders, and have measurements of 66″×43″×25″ (1.7×1.1×0.6 m). Most trucks utilize a modified and/or custom designed automatic transmission, such as a Turbo 400
, Powerglide
, Ford C6 transmission
, or a Torque-flite 727. A limited number of trucks utilize a Lenco transmission, which traces its roots to drag racing
. Most of the automatic transmissions are heavily modified with transbrake
s, 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 CO2.
The trucks have many safety features, several required just to run in the small arena
s that the trucks frequent. Trucks are equipped three kill switches: the RII (Remote Ignition Interrupt), one 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 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 firesuit
s, safety harness
es, helmet
s, and head and neck restraint
s. Most moving parts on the truck are also shielded, and high pressure components have restraining straps, both in case of an explosion.
Despite these precautions, on January 16, 2009, at a Monster Jam
event in Tacoma, Washington
a 6-year-old spectator was killed when struck by one of the driveshaft loops, a safety feature to retain the driveshaft, that was crushed on an earlier jump and thrown into the stands.
. Commonly cited evidence is the use of names for the trucks, rather than numbers and sponsors (some trucks are now named for their sponsor, and in 2008, the Major League of Monster Trucks, before their eventual downturn, planned to mandate truck numbers), and often accusations of rigged races, as some trucks (including Bigfoot and Grave Digger) are seen as winning more often in order to please the crowd. However, promoters have widely denied rigging races, and many shows often feature evidence to the contrary when the unpredictable happens. Perhaps more than the redneck stereotype
, the pro-wrestling stereotype is hated among drivers and teams, who feel they are regarded with disrespect despite their work to compete at a high level. Likewise, many fans would like to see the sport treated by the media as NASCAR
is currently. However, as monster truck events do feature a considerably more show-like atmosphere than most other motorsports, competitions are often considered a form of "sports entertainment
".
The advertising of monster truck events has also become a part of popular culture. A familiar 1980s series of radio
commercials for various monster truck races featured a screaming announcer (most famously, Jan Gabriel), blaring rock
background music
, and heavy use of reverb. These spots began with "Sunday!!! Sunday!!! Sunday!!!", and ended with an emphatic "BE THERE!!!!!!". Although commonly associated with monster trucks, the ads were conceived in the 1960s for funny car
match races at drag strip
s. Chicago-area drag racing promoter Jan Gabriel
, who produced three television specials about monster trucks in 1985 and 1986, is generally credited as coining the Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! catchphrase. As some promoters of those events also became promoters for monster truck events, the ads were retooled to fit the monster trucks. The ads have been frequently parodied
in other advertisements.
A truck competition in the film Take This Job and Shove It
features Bigfoot and USA-1, probably the earliest appearance of monster trucks in a major film.
Monster trucks are featured in Peter Bagge
's comic book
series Hate
. The front cover of issue #1 is a drawing of a monster truck, and halfway through the series the main character Buddy Bradley
buys a second hand
monster truck, nickname
d "The Poliomobile" because it has large front wheels and small back wheels.
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
, typically styled after pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
s' bodies, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheel
Wheel
A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...
s and suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
. They are used for competition and popular sports entertainment
Sports entertainment
Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competitive event using a high level of theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertaining an audience...
and in some cases they are featured alongside motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
races, mud bogging
Mud bogging
Mud bogging is a form of off-road motorsport popular in Canada and the United States in which the goal is to drive a vehicle through a pit of mud of a set length...
, tractor pulls and car-eating robots
Robosaurus
Robosaurus is a transforming dinosaur robot created by inventor Doug Malewicki in 1989 and is currently owned and operated by Monster Robots, Inc. Robosaurus is modeled after Transformers toys with the driver sitting in the head of the robot, and the ability to transform from a 48-foot semi trailer...
.
A monster truck show sometimes involves the truck crushing smaller vehicles beneath its huge tires, such as smart cars and other tiny things. These trucks can run up and over most man-made barriers, so they are equipped with remote shut-off switches, called the Remote Ignition Interruptor (RII), to help prevent an accident if the driver loses control at any time. At some events, only one truck is on the course at a time, while most feature two drivers racing each other on symmetrical tracks, with the losing driver eliminated in single-elimination tournament fashion. The losing driver's car is also usually destroyed with- dynamite, fire, crushing machines, and massive explosions.
In recent years, many monster truck competitions have ended with a "freestyle
Freestyle (monster trucks)
Freestyle, in Monster Truck competition, is an event where the goal is to perform tricks and stunts with the truck in order to demonstrate driver skill and truck capability. Some freestyle events are judged competitions, while others are merely exhibitions....
" event. Somewhat akin to figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
with giant trucks, drivers are free to select their own course around the track and its obstacles. Drivers will often try "donuts
Doughnut (driving)
A doughnut or donut is a maneuver performed while driving a vehicle. Performing this maneuver entails rotating the rear or front of the vehicle around the opposite set of wheels in a continuous motion, creating a circular skid-mark pattern of rubber on a roadway and possibly even cause the tires...
", wheelstands and jumps during this segment. Additional items for the drivers to crush, usually including a motor home, are frequently placed on the track specifically for the freestyle event. Other obstacles sometimes placed on the track include school buses and small airplanes.
History
Suspension lift
A suspension lift is a modification, often done by Jeep, truck, SUV and offroad enthusiasts to raise the ride height of their vehicle. Suspension lifts enable steeper approach, departure, and breakover angles, higher ground clearance, and helps accommodate larger wheels and tires...
trucks to compete in such events, and soon competition to hold the title of "biggest truck" developed. The trucks which garnered the most national attention were Bob Chandler's Bigfoot
Bigfoot (truck)
Bigfoot, introduced in 1979, is regarded as the original monster truck. Other trucks with the name "Bigfoot" have been introduced in the years since, and it remains the most well-known monster truck moniker in the United States. Bigfoot 4x4, Inc. is owned and operated by its creator, Bob Chandler.-...
, Everett Jasmer's USA-1, Fred Shafer and Jack Willman Sr.'s Bear Foot
Bear Foot (truck)
Bear Foot is a monster truck currently owned by Paul Shafer. It was originally built by Jack Wilman and Fred Shafer and, along with Bigfoot and USA-1 was one of the first monster trucks. It won the 1990, 1992, and 1993 USHRA Camel Mud and Monsters championships...
, and Jeff Dane's King Kong. At the time, the largest tires the trucks were running were 48 inches in diameter.
In April 1981, Bob Chandler drove over cars in a rc car what is often believed to be 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 caved in. After some smaller shows, Chandler performed the feat in the Pontiac Silverdome
Pontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
in 1982. At this show, Chandler also debuted a new version of Bigfoot with 66 inch (1.7 m) diameter tires. At a prior event in the early 80's when BIGFOOT was still running 48″ terra tires, Bob George, one of the owners of a motorsport promotion company named Truck-a-rama (now the USHRA), is said to have coined the phrase "monster truck" when referring to BIGFOOT. The term "monster truck" became the generic name for all trucks with oversized terra tires.
Debate over who did the first car crush is often discussed. There are claims that in the late 1970s, Jeff Dane's King Kong (who referred to his truck as the "Bigger Foot") had crushed cars at Great Lakes Dragway in Union Grove, Wisconsin. Another truck, known as High Roller, also claimed to have documented car crushes in Washington State before Bigfoot, though said documentation has never surfaced. Cyclops, then owned by the Dykman Brothers, also claims to have crushed burning cars before Bigfoot. However, the earliest, widely-available and verified video footage showing a monster truck crushing cars that exists shows Bob Chandler driving Bigfoot while crushing two mid-seventies automobiles in April 1981. This video was what the promoter viewed that motivated him to ask Chandler to perform the car crush in front of a crowd.
King Kong and Bear Foot each followed Bigfoot to 66 inches (1,676.4 mm) tires, and soon other monster trucks, such as King Krunch, Maddog, and Virginia Giant were being constructed. These early trucks were built off of stock chassis which were heavily reinforced, used leaf spring
Leaf spring
Originally called laminated or carriage spring, a leaf spring is a simple form of spring, commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles...
suspension, a stock body, and heavy military axles to support the tires. As a result, the trucks were incredibly heavy (usually 13,000 to 20,000 lb.) and most times had to crawl up onto the cars.
For most of the early 1980s, monster trucks performed primarily exhibitions as a side show to truck pulling or mud bogging events. In 1985, major promoters, such as the USHRA and TNT Motorsports
TNT Motorsports
TNT Motorsports was a popular promoter of monster truck races, tractor pulls, and occasionally mud racing in the 1980s. Events were shown on Powertrax on ESPN, Trucks and Tractor Power on TNN and the syndicated Tuff Trax.-Series:...
, began racing monster trucks on a regular basis. The races, as they are today, were in the form of single elimination drag races
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
, held over a course littered with obstacles. The change to racing eventually led truck owners to begin building lighter trucks, with more power. The establishment of TNT's first-ever monster truck points championship in 1988 expedited the process and found teams beginning to use straight-rail frames, fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
bodies, and lighter axle components to shave weight and gain speed.
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 a major role in the sport's development in the USA and EU.
Coil spring
A Coil spring, also known as a helical spring, is a mechanical device, which is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces...
s and shock absorbers as the main source of suspension rather than the standard of leaf spring
Leaf spring
Originally called laminated or carriage spring, a leaf spring is a simple form of spring, commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles...
s and shock absorbers. In 1989, Jack Willman Sr., now with his own truck, Taurus, debuted a new truck which used a four-link suspension system and large coilover
Coilover
A coilover is an automobile suspension device. "Coilover" is short for "coil spring over strut". It consists of a shock absorber with a coil spring encircling it. The shock absorber and spring are assembled as a unit prior to installation, and are replaced as a unit when the shock absorber has...
shock absorbers, and that weighed in at close to 9,000 lb. The ultimate coup de grâce
Coup de grâce
The expression coup de grâce means a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded creature. The phrase can refer to the killing of civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the consent of the sufferer...
, however, came from Chandler, also in 1989, whose Bigfoot VIII featured a full tubular chassis and a long-travel suspension using cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
s and nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
shock absorbers to control the suspension. The truck revolutionized how monster trucks were built, and within a few years most top level teams built similar vehicles.
In 1991, TNT was purchased by 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 1996, but the series is still running. The short-lived ProMT
PROMT
PROMT is a Russian company focused upon the development of machine translation systems. At the moment PROMT translators exist for English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Russian languages...
series started in 2000.
Although racing was dominant as a competition, USHRA events began having freestyle exhibitions as early as 1993. These exhibitions were developed as drivers, notably Dennis Anderson
Dennis Anderson
Dennis Anderson is a professional monster truck driver. He is the creator and driver of "Grave Digger" on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, he now resides in Poplar Branch, North Carolina. In Poplar Branch, he has his own shop where he signs autographs and shoots...
of the extremely popular Grave Digger
Grave Digger (truck)
Grave Digger is the name of a team of monster trucks currently racing in the USHRA Monster Jam series. There are several Grave Diggers being driven by different drivers to allow them to make appearances at more events, but their flagship driver is creator Dennis Anderson...
, 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 USHRA began holding freestyle as a judged competition at events, and now even awards a freestyle championship.
Truck design
Four Wheel Drive
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...
dune buggy
Dune buggy
A dune buggy is a recreational vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes or beaches. The design is usually a modified vehicle and engine mounted on an open chassis. The modifications usually attempt to increase the power-to-weight ratio by either lightening the...
. As such, they generally aren't actual "trucks" and only maintain their name due to the common style of fiberglass bodies used on the vehicles. Trucks now have custom built tubular chassis, with four-link suspensions to provide up to four feet of clearance. Mounted just behind the driver on most trucks are the engines, which are typically supercharged
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
, run on alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, and have displacement
Engine displacement
Engine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches...
up to 575 cubic inches (9.42 L). Axles are typically out of either heavy-duty military trucks or road vehicles like 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 the steering wheel
Steering wheel
A steering wheel is a type of steering control in vehicles and vessels ....
and the rear wheels by a toggle switch. The tires are typically "Terra" tires used on fertilizer spreaders, and have measurements of 66″×43″×25″ (1.7×1.1×0.6 m). Most trucks utilize a modified and/or custom designed automatic transmission, such as a Turbo 400
Turbo-Hydramatic
Turbo-Hydramatic is the registered tradename of a family of automatic transmissions developed and produced by General Motors. These transmissions mate a three-element torque converter to a Simpson planetary geartrain, providing three forward speeds plus reverse.The Turbo-Hydramatic series was...
, Powerglide
Powerglide
The Powerglide is a two-speed automatic transmission designed by General Motors. It was available primarily on Chevrolet from January, 1950 through 1973, although some Pontiac models also used this automatic transmission, extensively on models produced for the Canadian market with Chevrolet...
, Ford C6 transmission
Ford C6 transmission
The Ford C6 transmission was a heavy-duty automatic transmission built by the Ford Motor Company between 1966 and 1996. It featured three forward speeds and reverse, and was built around a Simpson planetary gearset....
, or a Torque-flite 727. A limited number of trucks utilize a Lenco transmission, which traces its roots to drag racing
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
. Most of the automatic transmissions are heavily modified with transbrake
Transbrake
In drag racing, a transbrake is a mechanism that selectively places the transmission in first and reverse gears simultaneously, effectively holding the race car stationary as if the foot brake was applied. The transbrake is activated by the driver by applying electrical current to a solenoid at the...
s, manual valve bodies, and heavy duty gear sets. Trucks running a Lenco use a centrifugal clutch
Centrifugal clutch
A centrifugal clutch is a clutch that uses centrifugal force to connect two concentric shafts, with the driving shaft nested inside the driven shaft....
as opposed to a torque converter
Torque converter
In modern usage, a torque converter is generally a type of hydrodynamic fluid coupling that is used to transfer rotating power from a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine or electric motor, to a rotating driven load...
, which are used in automatic transmissions. Lenco transmissions are usually found in two-speed or three speed configurations, and are commonly shifted using compressed CO2.
The trucks have many safety features, several required just to run in the small arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
s that the trucks frequent. Trucks are equipped three kill switches: the RII (Remote Ignition Interrupt), one 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 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 firesuit
Nomex
Nomex is a registered trademark for flame resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967.- Properties:...
s, safety harness
Safety harness
A safety harness is a form of protective equipment designed to protect a person, animal, or object from injury or damage. The harness is an attachment between a stationary and non-stationary object and is usually fabricated from rope, cable or webbing and locking hardware...
es, helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
s, and head and neck restraint
HANS device
The HANS device is a safety item compulsory in many car racing sports...
s. Most moving parts on the truck are also shielded, and high pressure components have restraining straps, both in case of an explosion.
Despite these precautions, on January 16, 2009, at a Monster Jam
Monster Jam
Monster Jam is a live motorsport event tour and television show operated by Feld Entertainment. The series is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association and takes place primarily in the United States and around the world...
event in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
a 6-year-old spectator was killed when struck by one of the driveshaft loops, a safety feature to retain the driveshaft, that was crushed on an earlier jump and thrown into the stands.
Popular culture
Monster trucks are possibly often portrayed as being a form of motorized professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. Commonly cited evidence is the use of names for the trucks, rather than numbers and sponsors (some trucks are now named for their sponsor, and in 2008, the Major League of Monster Trucks, before their eventual downturn, planned to mandate truck numbers), and often accusations of rigged races, as some trucks (including Bigfoot and Grave Digger) are seen as winning more often in order to please the crowd. However, promoters have widely denied rigging races, and many shows often feature evidence to the contrary when the unpredictable happens. Perhaps more than the redneck stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
, the pro-wrestling stereotype is hated among drivers and teams, who feel they are regarded with disrespect despite their work to compete at a high level. Likewise, many fans would like to see the sport treated by the media as NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
is currently. However, as monster truck events do feature a considerably more show-like atmosphere than most other motorsports, competitions are often considered a form of "sports entertainment
Sports entertainment
Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competitive event using a high level of theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertaining an audience...
".
The advertising of monster truck events has also become a part of popular culture. A familiar 1980s series of radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
commercials for various monster truck races featured a screaming announcer (most famously, Jan Gabriel), blaring rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
background music
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
, and heavy use of reverb. These spots began with "Sunday!!! Sunday!!! Sunday!!!", and ended with an emphatic "BE THERE!!!!!!". Although commonly associated with monster trucks, the ads were conceived in the 1960s for funny car
Funny Car
Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'...
match races at drag strip
Drag strip
Drag strip may refer to:*Dragstrip, track used for drag racing*Drag Strip , Transformer character who is one of the Stunticons*Videocart-9: Drag Strip, drag racing videogame released in 1976-See also:*Dover Drag Strip...
s. Chicago-area drag racing promoter Jan Gabriel
Ján Gabriel
Ján Gabriel was a Slovak professional footballer who played mostly for FC Spartak Trnava.-Club career:Gabriel played for DAC Dunajská Streda and FC Spartak Trnava in Slovakia, and had spells with Bursaspor and Zeytinburnuspor in the Turkish Super Lig.-References:...
, who produced three television specials about monster trucks in 1985 and 1986, is generally credited as coining the Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! catchphrase. As some promoters of those events also became promoters for monster truck events, the ads were retooled to fit the monster trucks. The ads have been frequently parodied
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
in other advertisements.
A truck competition in the film Take This Job and Shove It
Take This Job and Shove It (film)
Take This Job and Shove It is a 1981 film starring Robert Hays, Barbara Hershey, Art Carney, and David Keith, and directed by Gus Trikonis....
features Bigfoot and USA-1, probably the earliest appearance of monster trucks in a major film.
Monster trucks are featured in Peter Bagge
Peter Bagge
Peter Bagge is an American cartoonist. He is the creator of Buddy Bradley, Hate, Neat Stuff, Martini Baton, and Sweatshop, Apocalypse Nerd and Other Lives. His stories often use black humor and exaggerated cartooning to dramatize the reduced expectations of middle-class American youth...
's comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series Hate
Hate (comic)
Hate is a semi-autobiographical comic book by writer-artist Peter Bagge. First published by Fantagraphics in 1990 it ran for 30 issues, and was one of the best-selling alternative comics of the 1990s, at its height selling 30,000 copies an issue...
. The front cover of issue #1 is a drawing of a monster truck, and halfway through the series the main character Buddy Bradley
Buddy Bradley
Harold "Buddy" William Bradley Jr. generally referred to as Buddy Bradley is a comic book character created by Peter Bagge and featured in several of his comic books, most notably Hate and Neat Stuff...
buys a second hand
Second Hand
Second Hand is the title of an album by Mark Heard, released in 1991, on Heard's own Fingerprint Records. The album was listed at #4 in the book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music ....
monster truck, nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d "The Poliomobile" because it has large front wheels and small back wheels.
See also
- Monster Truck MadnessMonster Truck MadnessMonster Truck Madness is a monster truck racing PC game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft, in 1996. During development it was referred to as Heavy Metal Truck or by the internal codename Metal Crush.-Development:...
video game - Pro Arena TrucksPro Arena TrucksPro Arena Truck racing is a branch of off-road racing. Pro Arena Truck racing consists of modified trucks going around a Motocross-style indoor arena course filled with different jumps, bumps and turns...
- Slap wheelieSlap wheelieA slap wheelie is a specific form of freestyle trick performed by monster trucks. The truck is jumped over an obstacle, the front wheels bounce off the ground when it lands and the driver lays into the gas pedal to use the torque of the engine to pull the truck into a wheelstand...
trick move - List of monster trucks
- Radio-control monster trucks
- Firestarter Mini Monster TruckFirestarter Mini Monster TruckFirestarter is a 1/3 scale exhibition monster truck conceived and completed in 2008 by Firestarter Racing of Essex County, Ontario.The vehicle, the body of which is based on the actual firefighting pumpers manufactured by Seagrave Fire Apparatus in the 1930s, possesses all the characteristics of a...
- Mini monster truckMini monster truckA mini monster truck is an automobile, typically styled after and resembling an actual monster truck, although built on a much smaller scale. They are usually used for recreational use, although true mechanical replicas are often featured alongside their larger counterparts in popular Sports...