A sling hook with a broken safety catch must be withdrawn from service. That does not mean it must be scrapped. This kit replaces the catch and spring on Cobra Plus Grade 10 sling hooks, turning a rejected hook back into a serviceable one for a couple of pounds rather than the cost of a replacement. Seven sizes covering chain from 6 mm to 22 mm, supplied unassembled.
Key Features
- Restores a rejected hook: A missing or damaged catch is one of the most common reasons a hook fails inspection, and it is one of the few faults that is genuinely repairable.
- Seven sizes: Matched to Cobra Plus Grade 10 sling hooks for chain from 6 mm through 22 mm.
- Complete kit: Catch, spring and fixings, supplied unassembled.
- Genuine Cobra Plus part: Matched to the hook it fits. A catch from a different hook or manufacturer will not seat correctly across the throat.
- Low cost against replacement: From £2.29 against tens or hundreds of pounds for a new hook.
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
Suits Chain Dia (mm) |
| CKSHX6 |
6 |
| CKSHX8 |
8 |
| CKSHX10 |
10 |
| CKSHX13 |
13 |
| CKSHX16 |
16 |
| CKSHX20 |
20 |
| CKSHX22 |
22 |
Select by the chain size of the hook, which is marked on the hook body. The 20 mm and 22 mm kits are available to order.
Genuine Cobra Plus Replacement Part | Fit Correctly and Recertify
Manufacturer's replacement catch kit for Cobra Plus Grade 10 sling hooks. Only the correct kit for the hook size should be fitted. After replacing a safety catch, the hook and the assembly it belongs to should be inspected by a competent person before returning to service. Under LOLER 1998, lifting accessories require thorough examination at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Suitable Applications
Anyone running a fleet of chain slings will lose safety catches: they get knocked off, bent by loads landing on them, or corroded until the spring gives up. Keeping a small stock of catch kits alongside the slings means a hook that fails a pre-use check can be repaired the same day rather than the whole assembly going out of service. Particularly worth stocking for the sizes you use most, since the cost is trivial against the disruption of a sling being unavailable.
How to Fit the Safety Catch Kit
- Identify the hook size: The chain size is marked on the hook body. Order the matching kit.
- Confirm the hook is otherwise serviceable: Fitting a new catch to a hook that is worn, distorted or has an opened throat does not make it fit for use. Check that first.
- Remove the old catch and spring completely: Including any broken fragments of spring in the pivot.
- Fit the new catch and spring: The kit is supplied unassembled. Follow the orientation shown in the user information.
- Test the action: The catch must spring fully closed against the hook nose under its own tension and return every time.
- Have it checked before returning to service: The hook and its assembly should be inspected by a competent person after any repair.
Warning: Fit only the correct kit for the hook size and type. A catch that does not close fully against the hook nose provides no protection and may give false confidence. Replacing a catch does not make a worn or distorted hook serviceable.
Safety Information
- Use only the correct kit for the hook size and range.
- Never substitute a catch from a different hook or manufacturer.
- Confirm the hook is otherwise serviceable before repairing it.
- The catch must spring fully closed against the hook nose every time.
- Have the hook and assembly inspected by a competent person before returning to service.
- The safety catch retains the load, it does not carry it. Never allow load to bear on the catch.
- Thorough examination by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months under LOLER 1998.
Inspection and Maintenance
Once fitted, the catch becomes part of the pre-use check on the hook. It must spring closed under its own tension, sit properly against the hook nose with no gap, and move freely without binding. A catch that closes sluggishly usually has grit or corrosion in the pivot and will fail before long. Keep a note of when catches were replaced, since a hook needing its catch replaced repeatedly is telling you something about how it is being used.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I really repair a hook rather than replacing it?
For a damaged or missing safety catch, yes. The catch is a replaceable part and fitting a new one is a legitimate repair. What you cannot repair is the hook itself: wear, throat opening, distortion or cracks all mean the hook is scrap, and a new catch changes nothing.
Q: Will a catch from another hook fit?
No. The catch is matched to the hook geometry, and one from a different size or manufacturer will not close properly against the nose. A catch that does not seat is worse than none, because it looks like protection and is not.
Q: Does the hook need recertifying after fitting one?
The hook and the assembly it belongs to should be inspected by a competent person before returning to service. Practice varies on whether that requires full recertification, so check with whoever holds your LOLER records.
Q: Which size do I need?
Match the chain size marked on the hook body, not the chain you happen to be using. A hook marked 13 takes the CKSHX13 kit.
Q: What is the difference between Grade 6 and Grade 8 shackles?
Grade 6 high tensile to BS EN 13889 is the common general-purpose
shackle. Grade 8 alloy carries considerably more at the same physical size, so a smaller and lighter shackle does the same work. They look similar once in a box, which is why the grade marking matters and why an unmarked shackle must be scrapped.
Q: What does the minimum breaking load of six times the W.L.L. mean?
That the shackle is designed to break at six times its marked working rating. That margin covers shock loading, wear, and the tolerances of manufacture — it is not spare capacity to be used. The Working Load Limit is the number you work to.
Q: Can I use a shackle that has been dropped?
Inspect it first, and if in doubt scrap it. A drop onto concrete can crack a shackle without leaving a visible mark, and cracks in alloy steel propagate under load. Shackles are cheap; the consequences are not.
Q: Why can I not use a bolt instead of the pin?
Because the pin is a rated component, heat treated and dimensioned to match the body. An ordinary bolt is not, and it is the commonest and most dangerous field substitution in rigging.
Q: How do I stop the pin unscrewing?
Use the safety nut and bolt version for anything left rigged, subject to vibration, or where a sling can move against the pin. A screw collar pin is for connections made and broken by hand within a shift, not left in place.
Q: Should shackles be galvanised?
Hot dipped galvanising is the norm for outdoor and marine work and adds years of life. Self colour is fine indoors. Never repaint a shackle: paint conceals cracks and destroys the grade marking.
