Hydraulic spreader
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Jaws-life-spreader2.jpg
The hydraulic spreader, one of the Jaws of Life, is a tool used in vehicle extrication. It includes two aluminum alloy arms with tempered steel tips that may be provided with teeth to more fully engage the edges of the target object as the tool is operated. The tool is used by powering the gasoline engine, placing the points of the arms into a seam in a vehicle or structure, and activating a valve switch, thus inducing hydraulic fluid to operate a piston that actuates the arms by means of a rod and linkages. The arms spread out with a force of several tons (kilonewtons), thereby opening the target object to a certain distance (up to 40 inches [1 meter] in some cases). Many versions of this tool have scissor-like arms and may also be used in reverse, as a hydraulic cutter, to provide a comparable crushing force.de:Rettungsspreizer