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In looking trough some older emails we found a tip was sent in months ago. This tip also has the unique honor of being the first one to share credit with two people. Firefighter Matt Scallan from Escambia County Fire and Rescue, and Firefighter John Gilkey from Montgomery County Fire/Rescue. They both sent in this tip within a few weeks of each other. The tip involves some simple modifications to the halligan. Check out the Tips from the Bucket Section for a full description.
Not a bad idea, but the halligan already has a marker built in(in my opinion). The inside point where the two legs of the fork meet is a great spot to drive to. It’s the way I was taught, and the way I remebered how deep to set the fork was “Drive to the seat of the pants”. The “pants” of course being the legs of the forks. The “seat” being the spot where the forks meet. With the tool in this deep and locked on the jamb edge it is very difficult for the fork to slip out. Of course on very tight doors you may not be able to drive the fork in to that extent, but get it close. Take you’re time driving to the correct spot, apply even pressure, maybe the axe head under the halligan for added leverage- and most times you’re in.
Stay safe.
You can also use a grinder to grind a line across the inside of the forks about midway, or wherever the best seat is on your tool, to force the jamb without sticking it in too far and over “torquing” . Granted with a flimsy wooden door its probably gonna come open anyways, it helps with the beefier doors so you know your getting good leverage.
these are some great ideas i doubt if we’ll ever stop learning new tricks for this tool. Brian could you clarify i didnt get what you meant about using the axe head under the haligan for more leverage.
Sure Mitch. On some metal doors as the halligan is driven in and worked the door bends, and when force is applied to pop the door some of the force gets “wasted” because of the deformed door. After the tool is set the axe head is placed between the halligan(usually the forks) and whichever surface is your fulcrum point, thereby giving you a nice new solid surface to force against. If you can imagine it would in effect-make the thick part of the forks even thicker. Using the picture above if the tool was held like it is, and the jamb was on the left and the door was on the right-the axe would be placed under the forks on the right hand side of the forks. This technique is usually used on an inward opening door. I know it sounds complicated but to see it done, it is very simple and sometimes just that little extra to help get the door. I wish I had a camera to send a picture. Stay safe all.
I learned that you drive the fork end of the halligan all the way to where the two fingers of the fork come together, sometimes refereed to as the notch. This way you have maximum leverage to push the door and that most of the fork is wrapped around the frame. You can etch a red line on the adze end to indicate when to maneuver around the rabbited jamb as you drive the tool in, on an outward swinging door. So not to drive the adze into the jamb.
These tips all have a common idea as to the location of the “sweet spot” on the forks, my addition to this refers to the marking technique used. Within my department I’ve noticed different color tapes being used to identify the tool to a certain unit and also different paint colors. When painting tools I’ve always stressed not to paint the working portions. (This allows touching up the tips with the grinder as needed and doesnt cover/hide any stress crack or burrs in the metal.) On the haligan thats usually the last 3-4 inches of each working end. On the fork end it falls about an inch below where the forks meet, giving you a very distinct visual drive line while forcing a door. Great topic as always…
The only thing is what if you get a wider/thicker door and you get to that mark and just do more damage to the door and make it harder to force……This is an excellent tip in a training situation but you have to eventually just get used to the feel. But for new guys training and forcing their first doors this is perfect and i think I may try it on my trucks.
Well that’s just it. On an inward opening door, the 11/2″ mark may not be deep enough to really lock in on the jamb. Drive the fork in until you’re close to that notch and you’ll be in deep enough. It may make the difference between popping the door or the tool repeatedly slipping out. On an outward opening door the mark may work a little better but I’d still drive it a little deeper to try and avoid having the halligan slip out. And let me clarify I’m talking about forcing metal doors in metal jambs. Most wood doors in wood jambs will force relatively easy. Good stuff to talk about.
Stay safe
I used this tip on all my rigs and today we used it for the first time, a new guy was forcing the door. It worked perfect, it gave him a reference point. About forcing metal doors, fire hooks unlimited sells a hydro-ram which is perfect for forcing metal doors so you don’t have that question of “did I go far enough”.
Hey,
We use a similar marking method… but we measure up 1-3/4 inches from the tips of the fork (both sides) and mark each side with a line “drawn” in with a hack saw… this makes a nice straight line and only takes a few seconds. We also do the adz at 1-3/4 inches from the tip.
The 1-3/4 inches is the actual thickness of most exterior grade doors, and the idea is that when you reach that depth, the tool will begin to be driven against or into the stop or rabbit on the jamb if you don’t start wrapping it around. Obviously, driving the tool against a steel jamb is just a futile waste of time and energy, while driving it into a wood jamb will usually split the rabbited stop off the jamb itself, essentially wedging the door and halligan tight (bad for forcible entry), so even the experienced guys like to use the depth gauges for increased efficiency.
We also make a second set of depth gauges on the sides of the forks, at the neck (seat of the pants), so you can easily identify that the tool is properly set for maximum leverage… and yes, we take the style points for the artsy-craftsy paint in the line too, it makes it alot easier to see the depth gauges, especially at night.
And… Chuck from Orlando is right about paint on the tools. We don’t paint our tools at all, just keep them all well brushed and lightly coated with just a little oil any time a little surface rust starts to pop up. As for company identification, we don’t use paint or tape, we weld the ID right onto the tool… A big ol’ “E1” on the head of the axe or fork of the halligan isn’t going to be replaced with someone else’s tape or paint color!!
Evan, be careful with the hydra-ram, we’ve had two catastrophically fail during actual forcible entry on steel doors in steel frames (ya know, the doors they are supposedly designed for!). When the hydraulic cylinder blows out it makes a huge friggin mess, too!! We’ve also noticed that if they sit in the truck and aren’t exercised every couple days they “lose their prime”, so to speak, and have to be pumped continuously for several minutes, usually with the head facing down, to start working again. They might be light and single firefighter operable, but the sure aren’t the old rabbit tool! As Capt. Morris (FDNY R1) says, if you don’t know how to use the Irons, don’t pick up the hydra-ram!
Be safe Brothers!
Thanks for the advice on the hydra-ram from now on I will start “exercizing” all the rams in my department.
Yes the hydra-ram works fantastically(sp?) when it works. You will need the trusted irons if there is any failure with the hydra-ram. The irons will also be needed to hold any purchase you made with the ram, and you’ve maxed out the pistons extension. This is where many of these tools(hydra ram) fail. When the FF using it pumps the tool too far it may cause the seals to fail. And as Chris stated, we too have observed a lot of unexplained hydra ram failure on routine tool inspection. This is a tool that MUST be checked every tour because somehow they are prone to leakage. We have our guys simply test them by pumping them and then pushing the extended jaws against a wall. More times than you’d think those jaws start retracting with a little pressure. This condition will cause a very inefficient door force evolution. Great stuff.
Stay safe.
Keep in mind also that the Hydra-ram is designed to fail without any kind of leakage or noise etc. Any time you experience those conditions it’s definitely “no good”. There is an internal seal that is designed to fail when you are trying to force something you shouldn’t be (my Truck has “blown up” 2 of them). The two failures had no leakage noted and after the failure, appeared to function properly until placed under load. We now routinely lift our firehouse dumpster to ensure that the tool is operational. If you have a failure it will not lift anything but may appear to function normally.
Failures are also common in rams that have sat for long periods of time without use, causing the seals to dry out and crack, therefore again causing possible failure. Remember to keep the piston moistened and cleaned with 3-in-1 oil. These tools are like human muscles, they need to be used!!
Stay Safe!
Does anyone have the specific number at which the seal in the hydra-ram fails?
Can anyone tell me how to oil my hydro ram with the 3 in 1 oil? Like where do i put it?
Hey Jeff & Jimm – Looks like we need a Hydra-Ram training section!
Evan & Steve:
My curiousity was peaked by your questions and this discussion, so I called the manufacturer, Fire Hooks Unlimited (www.firehooksunlimited.net). I spoke with Bob, who I believe invented the tool. He was FULL of info and tips, and I tried to take notes as fast as he was talking about it. Incidentally, he said if you ever have questions or maintenace issues don’t hesitate to call; he can diagnose and direct repairs of most issues over the phone.
The tool will develop 31,000 lbs of force before the internal “implosion seal” fails. This differs from the old rabbit tool which would develop 10,000 lbs. of force then go to a “recylce mode” where the fluid would not develop further pressure but you could keep pumping the handle with no idication, thus protecting the internal mechanics from damage. Bob says, “The hell with the tool, if my kid is behind the door I want you to break the tool trying to get to him!”
Bob also said the stronger you are, the greater amount of force you will be able to develop, but he has a 90 lb. girl in his office who was able to develop over 10,000 lbs. of measured force when they were testing the tool. The back-pressure on the handle will give you an idea how hard you are working the tool. He said he routinely lifts his forklift to test the tools, and has seen video of FDNY lifting a 15,000 lb. machine off a trapped person.
The tool operates on a 3-stage hydraulic system. With 0-400 lbs. of load it will extend 3/4″ per pump, with maximum extension of 4″ in 8 pumps. 400-1200 lbs. will extend 1/4″ per pump, and over 1200 lbs. will extend 1/8″ per pump. The idea is to quickly take up the slack in a door/frame being forced, then apply a measured amount of force to break it.
The hydraulics are a fully-sealed pressurized unit, which uses Propylene Glycol as the fluid agent. The fluid is safe if it did get in your eyes or on your skin, as opposed to typical hydraulic fluid used in the old rabbit tool, which burns the skin. Also, it is basically just anti-freeze, so cold weather doesn’t effect operation.
To check the status of the hydraulic system, fully extend the shaft, and you’ll see a nickel-sized hole above where the shaft extends from the body. Insert a screwdriver all the way into the hole, mark the depth, and remove the screwdriver. Then, measure the depth marked on the screwdriver. If you were able to insert it greater than 5 inches, the tool has lost its charge and needs to be serviced by the manufacturer.
The other thing he mentioned was checking the position of the release lever when it’s in the closed position. That spring-loaded lever operates a ball-seat valve. If it is out of adjustment, the ball won’t seat properly, and you won’t be able to properly develop pressure. In the normally closed position, it should be between 10 o’clock and 11 o’clock. If the lever is at or beyond 12 o’clock, call Bob and he will talk you through removing it and adjusting/calibrating the valve.
As it is a fully-sealed pressurized unit, the only maintenance required is regular cleaning and exercise. Don’t open any seals or plugs. The tool may be completely submerged in water for cleaning, in fact it has been successfully used for underwater vehicle extrication.
After cleaning, fully extend the cylinder, wipe it with a clean rag, and oil the shaft with 3-in-1. Bob said if there are any black streaks on the shaft, you should clean them with metal polish, then reapply oil. After oiling, exercise the tool under load. He told me the more work the tool sees, the better it will perform. Most of the product maintenance returns he gets are from slower places that rarely take the tool off the truck. The busy companies that use the tool regularly rarely have problems. He recommended exercising it at least every two weeks.
Bob’s final words of wisdom, were that the tool isn’t “Fireman Proof”, as nothing is… I’m sure y’all’ve heard about the 3 bowling balls the chief left in a room full of firemen… The chief came back an hour later and one was broken, one was missing, and the third was pregnant, and noone knew anything about it!
Be safe Brothers!
Chris
We finally started a Hydra-Ram post:
Click Here
Please leave all further Hydra-Ram comments over there. Thanks for all the great comments so far! -Jimm-
Let me get this straight guys…….
your gonna put a red stripe on a halligan tool to tell you you’ve driven it far enough past the jamb?
What if there’s a fire?
What if there is smoke coming out of the door jamb?
What if it’s night time and it’s dark?
If there’s someone screaming on the other side,
your gonna look for a little red stripe?
Know your tool, know your talent.
what about little 18 year old Billy, just got in and has never touch one before? Its a training idea.