A Closer Look at the Different sorts of lifting hooks

There are no prizes for guessing that lifting hooks are used in the lifting of loads through such machinery as cranes or hoists. To an outsider it could appear that as far as lifting hooks are concerned they are of a ‘one size fits all’ ilk, but this is far from the reality of it.  There is literally a hook for every job and in this article we are covering the most common as well as one very special component.

Safety Latches

Lifting hooks are normally fitted with a secure safety latch to stop the load from falling off the hook once it has been raised off the ground. This makes the safety lock the key part of any lifting hook.

Imagine for a moment if a load weighing a few tonnes was being moved in a city centre environment when the load becomes detached due to the rope, wire rope or chain sling slipping off the hook. The potential catastrophic results possible loss of life doesn’t beat thinking about, and now you can see why we consider the safety latch to be the most important component in a lifting hook.

Shapes and Sizes

Lifting hooks come in many different shapes and sizes in order to cope with not only lifting varying weights of load but also different shapes. You can but a lifting hook capable of lifting a couple of ounces right up to one capable of hoisting several tonnes off the ground. It is essential that you buy the appropriate chain at the same time as you don’t need us to tell you what can happen if you buy a chain that isn’t strong enough to handle the load capacity the hook has been designed to withstand.

As with most things, there have been enhancements made to lifting hooks over time. These improvements have allowed lifting hooks to be used effectively in way more situations than you could a few years ago. Here are a look at some of the most common types of lifting hooks currently on the market.

Pipe Lifting

Hooks designated to lifting pipes are employed in pairs in order to move pipes safely between location. This could be on a building site or these could be pipes that are being laid in a road. These hooks can be bought with a plastic cover to prevent damage occurring to the pipes.  According to GSProducts these hooks are able to handle chain slings with angles of 60-90° or 90-120°.

Skip Lifting

These bad boys are attached to the lugs that you will see on both sides of conventional skips. Extra safety is employed with hooks used to lift such enormous weights and this comes courtesy of a spring gate. This ensures the hooks are locked firmly in place before the skip leaves the ground.

Automatic Lifting

Hooks for automatic lifting are not only a recent addition to the lifting hook family but also one of the most interesting as they help with automatic lifting.  Mobile cranes or industrial hoists can be employed by an operator in order to attach, move and then detach an object them having to move away from the controls of their hoist or crane.