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Shoutout to the old timer who showed me the hot wrench trick on a frozen fifth wheel jaw
Had a Freightliner with a jaw that wouldn't budge after a Maine winter. He grabbed the rosebud tip, heated the jaw body itself for about 30 seconds, not the pin, and it popped right open. Anyone got other tricks for seized trailer gear that don't involve a sledge?
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karen_sanchez491mo ago
That hot wrench trick is a lifesaver, but gotta be careful heating the jaw body. If you get it too hot you can mess with the temper of the steel and weaken it. A little heat goes a long way. For a real stubborn one, a good soak with penetrating oil the night before, then the heat, usually does the trick without beating on it.
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the_diana1mo ago
Yeah that trick works. Seen guys use a small propane torch too, just keep it moving. Sometimes a few good whacks with a dead-blow hammer after the oil soak helps.
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the_harper1mo ago
Wait, you're supposed to heat the jaw and not the pin? I always blasted the pin itself and wondered why it was still stuck. That actually makes way more sense.
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