The Ultimate Tool

[NCWayne]

IMe and two other guys spent the day Saturday demolishing an old house for the good lumber left in it. It was one of those first come, first serve deals where you didn"t know who all might show up. Fortunately the two guys that showed up were active duty military so they had good heads on their shoulders and were a pleasure to work with. But on to the tool. I showed up with my demo tools which consisted of basically a crowbar, a sledge, and a heavy claw hammer. One of the guys had one of these Hooligan bars with him. I tell you that is the ultimate demolition tool once you get the hang of using it. You can get the pike under the edge of a board and get it started coming loose and then shift to the duckbill. If your decking off of the top of a board, where you have to drive a crowbar under the piece your removing to have a way to pry it up, with this thing you put either the pike or duckbill under the piece to be removed and then the other one on top of the board and pry it up, then you can get under it and get it up.

I love finding new tools, expecially usefull ones so I could go on and on about this thing. For all the work we were able to do today with just three of us, and the difference this tool made in the time it took us to do everything by making what would otherwise been difficult to take apart quick and easy to do, all I can say is I"ve got to get me one of these things...... If you do much demo work and don"t have one you ought to get one too....it makes tearing things up alot easier and more fun.....
Paratech Hooligan Tool

 

[Anonymous-0]

We have one on the fire department for a long time. Auto accidents are where we use it most of the time, and they work good.

 

[g mccool]

I first experienced using one fifteen or more years ago on our Vol Fire Dept. Yes a very handy tool to have. Gerald

 

[NCWayne]

I don't know how long they have been around but did you notice they have one with a "can opener" on one end for cutting through car roofs, etc? It adds a few hundred to the cost but for what it's used for I think it would be something well worth having if you had the need for it.

 

[woodbutcher]

The first experience I had with one of those was on my fire department job. I understood that it was developed somewhere up north by a fire department and named after a fireman named Haligan. The proper name is Haligan tool.
Butch

 

[Mattlt]

I think it was invented by a guy named Halligan; this is one of the many knock-offs. Any of them are about as handy as a pocket on a shirt.

I'll take this opportunity to throw out a plug for the TNT Tool - an axe head and sledge on one end, a pike pole head and pry bar on the other. It's usually the first tool I grab.

http://www.thefirestore.com/store/product.cfm/pid_948_tnt_multi_purpose_tool/

 

[NCWayne]

You are correct in that some of them are called Haligan tools. If you click on the link you'll see that Paratech calls theirs the Hooligan tool.

 

[AndrewFromNS]

Used 'em many times with the local VFD. Handy as anything. I will, however, throw out a plug for a homeowner version, the Stanley FatMax FuBar Extreme. Its similar in concept, albeit less well equipped, its more within the realm of reality for most DIY'ers and home owners.

Poke here for Stanley's Version

AR

 

[Stan in Oly, WA]

Hi Andrew,

Even cheaper, I imagine, is my favorite tool for residential demo---the wizard bar. I've found the 36", 8-1/2 lb version to be just right for me, but I wouldn't mind giving the larger one a try. I used to be the fastest person at taking a house apart by hand of anyone I knew except for my BIL. He was quite a bit stronger than me but pretty much no good for leaving any useable salvage.

All the best, Stan
Wizard bar

 

[rbel]

Ahhh We just call it a BAC

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have one of them wizard bars. It has been a handy tool to have around.

 

[Little Ed]

Looks like that would be handier than a hole in a nightgown.

 

[ffrnempt]

They are a fire service invention. They are meant to be paired with a flathead axe for forcible entry. Put the flat edge in the doorjam, pop it a time or two with the flathead, crunch...you're in. One of the FFs I worked with had developed a class for all the different ways he's figured out to use them--there are a bunch.

I have also seen some very angry injuries from lack of respect for a Haligan.