The version for staying put. Where the double action tower hook is built for clipping on and off as a technician climbs, this one is fitted with a captive pin that holds the lanyard in position on the spine, so the hook cannot rotate and end up loaded across its weak axis. Combined with quarter turn locking, which needs only a single rotation rather than several turns of a collar, it suits work positioning and any connection left in place for extended periods.
Key Features
- Captive pin: Retains the attachment at the correct point on the spine, preventing the rotation that leads to cross loading. On a connector left in place for hours, that is the failure mode worth designing out.
- Quarter turn locking: One rotation to lock rather than several turns of a screw collar, with less thread for grit to work into.
- 55 mm gate opening: Sized for tower steelwork and larger structural members.
- 23 kN breaking strength: Above the EN 362 requirement.
- Alloy steel: Robust against the abrasive galvanised steelwork typical of tower and mast work.
- Category III PPE: Certified under Regulation (EU) 2016/425.
Technical Specifications
| Property |
Value |
| Product Code |
FA 50 216 55 |
| Material |
Alloy steel |
| Breaking Strength |
23 kN |
| Gate Opening |
55 mm |
| Operating Type |
Quarter turn locking |
| Special Feature |
Captive pin |
| Conformity |
BS EN 362 Class B |
| PPE Category |
Category III |
BS EN 362 Class B | Quarter Turn Locking | Captive Pin | Category III PPE
Conforms to BS EN 362 Class B for fall protection connectors. Captive pin retains the attachment in the correct position on the spine, reducing the risk of cross loading. Category III personal protective equipment under Regulation (EU) 2016/425, supplied with a Declaration of Conformity. Requires inspection by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months and immediate withdrawal after arresting a fall.
Suitable Applications
This version suits work positioning rather than climbing: a technician working at a level for an extended period on a mast, pylon or lattice structure, where the connector stays attached and the lanyard can work its way around the spine over hours. It also suits any connection left rigged between visits. For the climb itself, where clipping and unclipping happens constantly, the double action FA 50 213 80 is quicker and the captive pin becomes an obstruction.
More About This Product
Connectors are bought on price more often than any other component in a fall protection system, and they are the component where that is least sensible. A karabiner is the single point through which the entire system passes, and the difference between a good one and a poor one is measured in how the gate behaves after two years on site rather than in how it performs new.
The practical differences show up in use. A gate that is stiff with a glove on gets clipped carelessly. A connector too small for the anchor gets forced. One too large rolls out. None of these is a rating problem, and none of them appears on a spec sheet.
Gate Types, Roll-Out and Choosing by Anchor
Gate mechanism determines how a connector is used in practice. A screwgate is secure and slow, needing a deliberate twist to lock — and it is the one most often left unlocked, because locking it is a separate action nobody sees you skip. A twist-lock or triple-action gate locks automatically, which removes that failure mode entirely at the cost of being fiddlier with heavy gloves.
Roll-out is the failure mode that surprises people. A correctly rated connector can twist and come out of an anchor point that is too wide, too flat or awkwardly shaped, under load, without anything breaking. It is a geometry problem, not a strength problem, and no amount of extra rating prevents it. Where the anchor is a wide flat plate or a large eye, a connector with a captive-eye or a purpose-shaped body is the answer.
Gate opening is the dimension to check before buying a fleet. A connector that will not fit the anchor points on your site is useless whatever its rating, and the discovery is normally made on the day by someone who then improvises.
How to Use the Quarter Turn Tower Hook
- Fit the attachment behind the pin: The benefit is lost if the connection sits on the wrong side of it. Check it is correctly seated.
- Operate the quarter turn fully: Rotate until the sleeve seats. A partially turned mechanism is not locked.
- Confirm it has locked: Attempt to open the gate without releasing the mechanism.
- Load along the major axis: Class B, not Class M, so it is not rated for cross loading. The captive pin reduces the risk but does not remove the requirement.
- Check the pin at each use: A bent or missing pin removes the benefit entirely and is grounds for withdrawal.
- Keep the mechanism clean: Rust scale and grit from tower steelwork foul locking mechanisms readily.
Warning: Class B only and not rated for cross loading; the captive pin reduces but does not eliminate that risk. Confirm the quarter turn mechanism is fully engaged before applying load. Withdraw if the pin is bent, damaged or missing.
Safety Information
- For use only by trained and competent persons within a safe system of work.
- Class B only. Load along the major axis. Not rated for cross loading.
- Ensure the attachment is correctly seated relative to the captive pin.
- Confirm the quarter turn mechanism is fully engaged before every use.
- Withdraw if the captive pin is bent, damaged or missing.
- Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall.
- Inspection by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
- Do not modify, drill, machine or paint.
Inspection and Maintenance
Three things to check: the mechanism, the pin and the throat. The quarter turn must engage and release positively every time, and a mechanism that has become vague or sticky is on its way to failing. The captive pin must be present, straight and secure, since a bent pin no longer retains the attachment correctly and a missing one leaves an ordinary connector at a higher price. The throat wears from repeated contact with galvanised steelwork, which is abrasive. Keep the mechanism clean and lightly oiled, and check the body for distortion, particularly around the pin location where the section is reduced.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does a tower hook need a captive pin?
Because a connector left attached for hours will work its way around the spine as the technician moves, and can end up loaded across its weak axis. On a hook clipped and unclipped constantly that rarely has time to happen; on one left in place it does. The pin holds the attachment where it belongs.
Q: This one or the double action tower hook?
Double action for climbing, where you clip and unclip at every level and the captive pin gets in the way. Quarter turn with captive pin for working positioning, where the connector stays put and rotation over time is the risk.
Q: What is quarter turn locking?
The sleeve locks with a single quarter rotation instead of winding a threaded collar several turns. Faster to operate and less thread for grit and rust scale to work into, which matters on exposed steelwork.
Q: The pin has bent. Can I straighten it?
No. Never modify or repair fall protection equipment. A bent pin means the connector has been loaded in a way it should not have been, which raises questions about the body too. Withdraw it.
