Shouldered eye-bolts– when do we use them?

An important consideration when choosing which eye-bolt to use for your lift is whether or not it needs to be “shouldered.” Bolts that do not have shoulders are only used for vertical lifts. If, however, your lift needs to be done at an angle, it is important to use a shouldered eye-bolt instead.

Eye-bolts– galvanized vs. stainless steel:

Galvanized eye bolts are coated in zinc oxide in order to prevent corrosion and oxidation over time. They tend to be less expensive than stainless steel eye-bolt, but are still a good choice for many lifts.

There are many considerations when choosing which eye-bolt to purchase for your lift. That’s why we always recommend contacting our support staff, who are experts that can help you find the safest and most economical eye-bolt for your project.

Eye-bolts: what are they?

Simply put, an eye-bolt is like a regular bolt, except it has a loop (an “eye”) at the end of it. This added loop makes it easy to run cables, ropes, etc., through the bolt.

What is the difference between forged and bent eye-bolts?

The main difference is that forged eye bolts are better for heavy-duty lifting applications. Bent eye-bolts are made by the metal into a loop. The bent eye bolt may bend during larger lifts, whereas forged eye-bolts can withstand much heavier loads.

What is a screw eye-bolt?

Another common type of eye-bolts is the screw eye-bolt. Screw eye-bolts are similar to other eye-bolts but have the added advantage of having threads. We’d recommend taking a look at our selection of products to see all the eye-bolts that ADB has to offer and contact our service team if you have any questions.

Swivel hoists vs. Eye-bolts:

Swivel hoist rings were developed to overcome the deficiencies of eye-bolts as a result of angular loading. Unlike eye-bolts, the hoist ring design provides the ability to pivot 180° and swivel 360°. This compensates for load pitch, roll, or sway when lifting unbalanced loads. ADB is the originator of the safety-engineered hoist ring. We’ve strived to provide reliability since 1964. ADB hoist ring CAD models are readily available at www.adbhoistrings.com. Our knowledgeable staff of engineers can be consulted for customizations or technical questions.

ADB Swivel Hoists

ADB hoist rings have been designed and tested to meet ASME B30.26-2 user specification requirements. Design requirements include proper working load limit and fastener torque markings; a 5:1 design factor, specific length thread projections, and suitable materials to meet the product specifications. Proof testing is not a requirement for newly manufactured hoist rings. Still, ADB proof tests to 200% each center-pull style hoist ring before shipment (150% for stainless steel).

Hoist Ring Installation

ADB hoist rings can be properly installed using a tapped or “through” hole. Simply attatche an ADB approved nut and washer attached on the opposite side. When installed properly, all ADB swivel hoist rings freely swivel 360° and pivot 180°. Hoist ring working load limits do not change or have to be reduced during angular loading. Still, be aware that angular loading does increase the load on all components. This includes the hoist ring. It is the responsibility of the user to consider the additional loads being applied as a result of angular loading.

Demanding deadlines leave a natural opening for omissions or errors. This is true for even the most thought-out design plans. After many hours of excruciating drawings and calculations, engineering designs come are assigned to the job shop. The engineering department feels the accomplishment until one question arises from the shop floor, “how will you lift your design?” This question has caused the blood to quickly exit many engineers’ faces. How does one avoid these feelings of loss? Simple: don’t exclude the design of the lifting points and the proposed lift plan.

In most designs requiring lifting or rotation applications, hoist rings, which are engineered lifting points, are readily available. At least they are for most applications with working load limits ranging from 250 lbs. to 500,000 lbs. Hoist rings are engineered so that they swivel 360 degrees and pivot 180 degrees. Hoist rings are a natural choice for designs that require lifting points because hoist rings are designed to be threaded into a tapped hole or used in a thru-hole application with a nut and washer. Also, hoist rings are available to meet all standards of ASTM B30.26, which includes requirements such as a 5:1 design factor. The past times of “homemade” lift points are now over with such clear standards relating to safety in the workplace and devices related to overhead lifting.

ADB® is a manufacturer of hoist rings and has an engineering staff that specializes in customized engineered lifting point designs.