How to Release a 5th Wheel Hitch
with a 5th Wheel Release Handle
What is a 5th Wheel Release
The fifth wheel coupling provides the link between a semi-trailer and the towing truck, tractor unit, leading trailer or dolly. Some recreational vehicles use a fifth wheel configuration, requiring the coupling to be installed in the bed of a pickup truck as a towing vehicle.
What is a 5th Wheel Release Hook
Using a strong 5th wheel pull hook is recommended when separating a tractor from the trailer. Soft-metal hooks (such as those made from aluminum) are unsafe as they are too susceptible to bending.
Reaching under the trailer to release the fifth wheel can cause neck, shoulder and back injury, as well as, damaging your clothes with grease, oil, and road grime. Our 5th Wheel Hitch Release Hook can help eliminate these problems.
When using a hook to pull a fifth-wheel release get a wide foot stance, with your rear foot parallel with the trailer. Such a stance will help you maintain your stability if the hook slips off of the fifth-wheel release handle.
Related:
Driver Injures Head Pulling 5th Wheel
Driver Injures Shoulder Pulling 5th Wheel Release
OPNBar Fifth Wheel Release Tool – Optional Version 2
OPNBar has created a version 2 Large Mouth and Fifth Wheel Release Hook Leverage Bar for Shipping Container Doors to accommodate 5th Wheel Release hooks larger than 0.631″. The mouth also accommodates shipping container handles that have a rubber sleeve attached. This version can be found on our Amazon Store .
50 Percent of Trucker Injuries are Due to Strains and Sprains
According to Knestaut, A. Compensation and Working Conditions, (1997, Fall)., truck drivers had more nonfatal injuries (over 151,000) than workers in any other occupation in 1995. Half of the nonfatal injuries were serious sprains and strains; this may be attributed to the fact that many truck drivers must unload the goods they transport.
Of all trucker injuries, strains and sprains make up 50% of injuries. Work-related strains and sprains are injuries to muscles, tendons and nerves that are referred to by doctors and researchers as musculoskeletal disorders or MSDs. Strains and sprains can have many causes and each additional risk factor increases the likelihood of injury. Risk factors for muscles, tendons and nerves include:
- Overexertion
Contact with or being struck by an object- Falling
- Transportation accidents
- Repetitive use without adequate rest
- Lifting heavy or awkward objects or boxes
- Awkward postures such as reaching overhead for long periods of time
- Gripping something tightly
Work-related strains and sprains include:
- Back pain
- Shoulder pain
- Muscle strain
- Tendonitis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
- Tennis elbow (epicondylitis)
Other common trucker injuries include bruises, fractures, cuts and lacerations, soreness and pain, and multiple traumatic injuries.
Costs
Work-related strains and sprains are the most costly and most frequent injuries in the trucking industry.
Sprains, strains and overexertion accounted for the most trucking-related injuries, with costs exceeding $107 million and resulting in 576,000 lost-work days. About 70 percent of these injuries were to drivers. Many of the injuries occurred while connecting or disconnecting a trailer to the truck or opening stuck trailer doors.
Workers’ compensation costs
- 41% of compensable claims are the result of strains and sprains to the neck, back and upper extremity (shoulders, elbows, hands/wrists)
- The average cost for a claim is over $26,000
- Average of 184 time-loss days
Compared to other industries
Couriers have almost four times the rate of work-related strains and sprains claims of all industries combined. Waste Collection has three and a half times the rate and General Freight trucking is close with almost two and a half times the rate of work-related strains and sprains of all other industries combined.
Additional costs
Work-related strains and sprains also increase the cost of hiring and training, increase turnover and decrease productivity. Sometimes workers are unable to return to their full wage jobs after such an injury or require extensive life-altering surgeries or treatments to recover
Source: KeepTruckingSafe.org
