Talk:Halligan bar

Comment

Shouldn't Halligan Bar be wikied? That's pretty much the point of a disambig link. anthony (see warning)

Capitalization

The The Chicago Manual of Style, in chapter 7, says that words derived from names may or may not be capitalized, but a work should be consistent, whichever choice is made. I have capitalized Halligan throughout the article, because some firefighters I've met didn't know it was named after a person; capitalizing it will help to get that idea across. --Gerry Ashton (talk) 03:15, 19 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hooligan bar

Someone has added a note about the top image not displaying a true Halligan bar but what is apparently called a "hooligan bar" because it's not made from one piece of metal. If this is true then the caption under the image should really be changed to reflect this since it currently says its a "typical Halligan bar" (when it may in fact be a hooligan bar). Also, the note about the hooligan bar should probably be incorporated into the article a bit better (without the use of "Note:" and without referring to the image). -Andreas Toth (talk) 21:51, 13 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sure Halligan's patent expired long ago, and I don't know of any trademark that is still under the control of Hallian or his successors. Thus I doubt there is anything to force any manufacturer to not call their product a Halligan no matter how they make it. I am also unaware of "Halligan" being used for one style of construction and "hooligan" being used for other styles. So I really don't believe caption. --Gerry Ashton (talk) 22:38, 13 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

That is correct. The bar pictured is 3 pieces and 36 inches in length. A true Halligan is one piece, 30 inches. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.250.3.66 (talk) 14:09, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, but just because some information flows through a port labeled 199.250.3.66 does not make it true. --Jc3s5h (talk) 17:02, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In my personal experience (which is limited to southern California firefighters), any Halligan bar that is not one piece and drop forged is looked down upon as being potentially unreliable, breaking or coming apart when you need it most. It also should be thirty inches long so as to mate up perfectly with a fireman's flat head ax to create a set of irons. There is a FDNY spec for this tool, but I could not locate a copy of the spec. If anyone can find it, it would be a good addition to this page.

A quick web search of various firefighter discussion groups shows no evidence of "hooligan" being used as a term for an inferior bar, but rather as an interchangable term for "halligan" often used in the UK. Unless someone comes up with a citation from a reliable source, the holligan=inferior definition should not be in this article. Guy Macon 17:03, 7 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Oops. I take it back. http://www.firehouse.com/forums/showthread.php?p=770631 shows the definition in use by firefighters: "Halligan bars are forged one piece tools. Hooligan bars are held together with set screws and should be used for nothing more than trophies." and "Halligan, proven tough one piece construction, Hooligan, held together with set screws, which can be broken. That's the difference. Which would you rather be holding when the s##t hit's the fan and you need it most?" Guy Macon 17:25, 7 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds like the difference between "spelunking" and "caving"; i.e., they used to be synonyms until the jargon was changed retroactively. 72.200.151.13 (talk) 01:31, 13 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Married set of irons?

The article says...

"A Halligan bar and a flathead axe can be joined together (and partially interlocked, head-to-toe) to form what is known as a married set or set of irons — a particularly useful combination."

...but does not say what they are useful *for.* Can someone with experience please expand on this? Guymacon (talk) 16:31, 7 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Firefighters usually don't know exactly what they will encounter until they walk from the apparatus (or "appliance" in the UK) to the part of the scene where they will work. Interlocking the halligan and the flat-head ax makes it easy to carry two tools that will perform most of the tasks a firefighter will need to do. They are especially useful together because the halligan can be used as a wedge, and the flat side of the axe can be used to drive the halligan into a narrow opening to force something open. Jc3s5h (talk) 16:47, 7 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I also found this discussion: http://www.firehouse.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96333 where it is mentioned that on one brand the forks interlock, allowing the firefighter to make a double-length tool out of two standard tools and thus increasing his leverage. Guy Macon 17:18, 7 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]