A wire rope grip forms an eye by clamping the rope's tail back against the standing part. It is the field-serviceable alternative to a swaged ferrule: no press, no workshop, just a spanner.
This is the commercial grade. It does not meet BS EN 13411-5, and should not be used where the termination is load bearing — use the WRGEN range for that.
Two things decide whether a gripped eye holds: the number of grips and which way round they face. The saddle goes on the live end and the U-bolt on the dead tail — "never saddle a dead horse". Get that wrong and the U-bolt crushes the load-bearing rope.
Key Features
- Field-serviceable termination: Formed with hand tools, no swaging press required
- Saddle and U-bolt construction: Electro galvanised finish
- Correct grip count is critical: The number required rises with rope diameter — always follow the instruction sheet, never guess
- Retorque after loading: Wire rope beds down under first load and the grips must be retightened
- Commercial grade: General non-load-bearing use only
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
Rope Dia (mm) |
A (mm) |
B (mm) |
C (mm) |
D (mm) |
F (mm) |
H (mm) |
L (mm) |
Weight (kgs/100) |
| WRGC3 |
3 |
4 |
20 |
9 |
12 |
21 |
10 |
10 |
1.4 |
| WRGC5 |
5 |
5 |
24 |
11 |
13 |
23 |
11 |
10 |
1.5 |
| WRGC6 |
6.5 |
5 |
28 |
13 |
15 |
26 |
12 |
11 |
2.1 |
| WRGC8 |
8 |
6 |
34 |
16 |
19 |
30 |
14 |
15 |
4.1 |
| WRGC10 |
10 |
8 |
42 |
19 |
22 |
34 |
18 |
17 |
6.8 |
| WRGC13 |
13 |
10 |
55 |
24 |
30 |
42 |
23 |
21 |
11 |
| WRGC16 |
16 |
12 |
63 |
29 |
33 |
50 |
26 |
26 |
21 |
| WRGC19 |
19 |
12 |
75 |
32 |
38 |
54 |
29 |
30 |
28 |
| WRGC22 |
22 |
14 |
85 |
37 |
44 |
61 |
33 |
34 |
40 |
| WRGC26 |
26 |
14 |
95 |
41 |
45 |
65 |
35 |
37 |
44 |
| WRGC30 |
30 |
16 |
100 |
48 |
50 |
74 |
37 |
43 |
60 |
| WRGC34 |
34 |
16 |
109 |
52 |
55 |
78 |
39 |
50 |
85 |
| WRGC40 |
40 |
16 |
129 |
58 |
60 |
86 |
44 |
55 |
104 |
| WRGC45 |
45 |
18 |
148 |
68 |
70 |
105 |
51 |
63 |
135 |
| WRGC50 |
50 |
18 |
158 |
73 |
70 |
112 |
54.5 |
69 |
160 |
Commercial grade — not to BS EN 13411-5 | NOT FOR LOAD-BEARING TERMINATIONS
Commercial grade. This grip does not meet BS EN 13411-5 and must not be used where the termination carries load — specify the WRGEN range instead. A gripped termination achieves only a proportion of the rope's breaking load, and that proportion depends entirely on the number of grips, their spacing and their torque being correct. Follow the manufacturer's instruction sheet.
Suitable Applications
General non-load-bearing work: fencing, barrier lines, decorative and architectural wire, and temporary arrangements carrying nothing but themselves. Where the termination is part of a lifting assembly, a swaged ferrule and thimble is the stronger and more consistent answer.
More About This Product
Wire rope terminations are where most of a wire rope assembly's cost and nearly all of its risk sits. The rope itself is a commodity; the termination is where craft is involved and where efficiency is either preserved or thrown away.
The numbers are worth knowing. A properly made swaged or spelter termination retains close to the rope's full breaking load. A correctly fitted wedge socket retains a high proportion. A gripped termination with the right number of grips, correctly spaced and torqued, retains rather less — and a gripped termination done carelessly retains very little indeed. The rope has not changed; the termination has.
Termination Efficiency and the Thimble's Job
Efficiency is the proportion of the rope's breaking load a termination preserves, and it varies more than most people expect. That is why a lifting sling is swaged in a workshop and a guy wire is gripped in the field — the applications tolerate different efficiencies.
On a gripped termination three things determine the result and all three are commonly got wrong. The number of grips rises with rope diameter and is specified, not estimated. The spacing is specified by the manufacturer and set out in the instruction sheet. The torque must be applied and then reapplied after the assembly has been loaded once, because wire rope beds down under first load and grips that were tight become loose. A gripped termination inspected a week after fitting and never retorqued is a common finding.
And the orientation: saddle on the live rope, U-bolt on the dead tail. Reversed, the U-bolt crushes the part of the rope carrying the load. The rigger's phrase is never saddle a dead horse, and it exists because the mistake is easy to make and hard to see afterwards.
The thimble does a different job. Without one, a rope eye bends around the pin at a radius far tighter than the rope tolerates, and is crushed between pin and load. The thimble holds the eye at an acceptable radius and takes the bearing itself. A flattened thimble at inspection means the eye has been carrying load it was never meant to.
How to Use
- Fit a thimble: The eye should be formed around a thimble to protect the rope from crushing
- Saddle on the live end: U-bolt on the dead tail. Never the reverse — the U-bolt would crush the load-bearing rope
- Use the correct number of grips: This rises with rope diameter. The instruction sheet gives the figure; do not estimate
- Space them correctly: As specified in the manufacturer’s instruction sheet
- Torque to specification: Then load the assembly and retorque, because the rope beds down
- Inspect the tail: A tail that has pulled through is the clearest sign of an under-gripped termination
Warning: Never reverse the saddle and U-bolt — the U-bolt must bear on the dead tail, not the live rope. The number of grips, their spacing and their torque all determine whether the termination holds. Retorque after the assembly has been loaded. This commercial grade must not be used in load-bearing terminations.
Safety Information
- Fit the saddle to the live end and the U-bolt to the dead tail.
- Use the correct number of grips for the rope diameter.
- Torque to specification and retorque after first loading.
- Form the eye around a thimble.
- Not for load-bearing terminations — use WRGEN.
- Inspect the termination before every use.
- Where used in a lifting assembly, thorough examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months under LOLER 1998.
Inspection and Maintenance
Check every grip for correct torque, since these loosen as the rope beds down and a slack grip contributes nothing. Look for the dead tail having pulled through, which indicates the termination is slipping and must be remade. Inspect the rope where the grips bear for crushing, broken wires and deformation, and the thimble for flattening. Examine the U-bolts for stretching and thread damage, and the saddles for cracks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many grips do I need?
It depends on the rope diameter and rises with it. The instruction sheet gives the figure for each size. This is not a place to estimate — an under-gripped termination slips under load.
Q: Which way round do the grips go?
Saddle on the live rope, U-bolt on the dead tail. The old rigger's phrase is "never saddle a dead horse". Reversed, the U-bolt crushes the rope that is carrying the load.
Q: Grips or a swaged ferrule?
A ferrule is stronger, more consistent and neater, but needs a press. Grips can be fitted in the field with a spanner. For lifting assemblies, ferrules; for field-formed guy wires and stays, grips.
Q: What is the difference between WRGC and WRGEN?
WRGEN meets BS EN 13411-5 and is suitable for load-bearing terminations. WRGC is commercial grade and is not. They look similar and the difference is not visible once fitted, so buy by code.
