trucker tools?

My bf is on the road solo for the first time and he having trouble unhitching the trailer by himself. I know nothing about trucking but he said his trainer used a tool, a long rod with a hook at the end and he hasn't been able to find one to buy for himself yet.
The connection was bad when he called so I didn't get to ask any questions but I was wondering if anyone here knew what the tool was called so I can look it up and either get it for him or direct him to a store that has it...

 

It's commonly referred to as a "fifth wheel puller". The better ones can be found at the TA in the shop areas. They run about $15 - $20 for a heavy gauge steel one. They last the longest and are the most durable.

 

Thanks for the info - he has been looking for them everywhere he stops - can't find one yet.
Any tips of the trade for doing that on your own without a tool. I haven't heard from him since yesterday afternoon and don't know how he ended up doing it. He might have asked a fellow driver for help.

 

Only tip I can think of that would be a little help would be when he's going to drop the trailer to set just the trailer brakes, back into the trailer a bit to take pressure off the kingpin, set the tractor brakes and then try pulling the fifth wheel.

 

Is he putting the landing gear down prior to attempting to pull the 5th wheel? If so tell him not to crank the landing gear all the way down (leave an inch or 2 between landing gear and the ground THEN pull the pin. This won't always make the pin easier to pull, but in my experience it works about 9/10x

 

Is a fifth wheel puller and a tandem puller the same thing?

 

No a 5th wheel puller is just used to pull the pin on the 5th wheel on the tractor to unlock the kingpin on bottom of trailer).

The tandom puller is used to pull the tandom (moving portion of frame on the back of trailer to simplify things) it has a catch and is spring operated that catches on another portion of the trailer.

5th wheel puller as already posted by Tarps


Tandem Puller (1 of multiple varieties)

 

Tell him to look around on the docks when he is loading or unloading, if they have or had older docks then they probably have something that looks exactly like a fifth wheel puller but might be just a little bit heavier. Could be his for the asking.

 

this should do it