The Green Pin Grade 8 quad master link assembly is the top assembly on three and four leg slings: one master link plus two intermediate links so the legs sit correctly.
Green Pin is the white range. Cobra Grade 80 is red, Kito Grade 8 is red, Kito Grade 10 is grey and Kito Grade 10 chain is blue. The finish is how a rigger tells them apart on site, and it is why lifting fittings must never be repainted.
Key Features
- The top of the assembly: Carries every leg and the whole load
- White painted finish: Identifies the Green Pin range on site — never repaint a lifting fitting
- BS EN 1677-4: The applicable standard for this fitting type
- -40 °C to +200 °C: Wider at the cold end than the Cobra range, narrower at the top than Kito
- Grade 8 alloy steel: Fully marked with grade, manufacturer’s ID, size and traceability code
- Supplied with a certificate: Traceable to its manufacturing batch
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
Chain Dia |
W.L.L. (t) |
|
A (mm) |
B (mm) |
C (mm) |
D (mm) |
E (mm) |
F (mm) |
G (mm) |
Weight (kgs) |
| GPG8QA16 |
6 |
2.5 |
|
16 |
120 |
70 |
13 |
115 |
60 |
7 |
1.2 |
| GPG8QA18 |
6/7 |
3.5 |
|
18 |
135 |
75 |
16 |
120 |
70 |
7 |
3.1 |
| GPG8QA22 |
8 |
6.5 |
|
22 |
170 |
90 |
18 |
135 |
75 |
9 |
3.3 |
| GPG8QA25 |
10 |
8.5 |
|
25 |
190 |
103 |
20 |
150 |
82 |
11 |
4.5 |
| GPG8QA28 |
- |
10 |
|
28 |
209 |
120 |
20 |
150 |
82 |
11 |
5.4 |
| GPG8QA30 |
13 |
13 |
|
30 |
235 |
125 |
22 |
170 |
90 |
14 |
7.2 |
| GPG8QA36 |
16 |
17 |
|
36 |
270 |
145 |
25 |
190 |
103 |
14 |
11.2 |
| GPG8QA38 |
- |
20 |
|
38 |
250 |
150 |
28 |
209 |
120 |
17 |
13.3 |
| GPG8QA45 |
18/20 |
30 |
|
45 |
300 |
200 |
36 |
270 |
145 |
22 |
25.3 |
| GPG8QA50 |
22 |
40 |
|
50 |
380 |
200 |
38 |
250 |
150 |
22 |
32.2 |
| GPG8QA55 |
26 |
50 |
|
55 |
360 |
200 |
38 |
250 |
150 |
22 |
35.2 |
| GPG8QA60 |
- |
60 |
|
60 |
430 |
220 |
45 |
300 |
200 |
45 |
54.2 |
| GPG8QA70 |
32 |
80 |
|
70 |
500 |
250 |
55 |
360 |
200 |
55 |
86 |
| GPG8QA80 |
- |
100 |
|
80 |
503 |
250 |
55 |
360 |
200 |
55 |
103 |
Working Load Limits and full dimensional data for every size are in the Green Pin Grade 8 information sheet.
BS EN 1677-4 | Grade 8 | White Finish | -40 °C to +200 °C | LOLER Ready
Conforms to BS EN 1677-4. Grade 8 alloy steel with a white painted finish. Marked with material grade, manufacturer’s identification, size, product ID mark and traceability code, and supplied with a certificate. Rated -40 °C to +200 °C. Under LOLER 1998, thorough examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Suitable Applications
The top component of Green Pin Grade 8 chain sling assemblies across general lifting, fabrication, machinery handling and construction.
More About This Product
Shackles are the most-handled component in any lifting operation, and that is precisely why they wear out first. A sling gets rigged and derigged; a shackle gets rigged, derigged, dropped, driven over, thrown into a box and picked up by whoever needs one. Most lifting gear fails from a single overload; shackles fail from accumulated inattention.
The grade markings matter more than most people realise. A Grade 6 high tensile shackle to BS EN 13889 and a Grade 8 alloy shackle look similar and share the same body shape, but the alloy version carries considerably more at the same size. Once a shackle is in a box with fifty others, the only way to tell them apart is the marking — which is why an unmarked shackle has to be scrapped no matter how good it looks.
Understanding the Load Path
A shackle has two distinct load-bearing elements and they do different jobs. The bow takes the sling; the pin takes the load. Reverse that — put the sling on the pin and the load on the bow — and two things happen. The sling bears on a smaller radius than it was designed for, and any movement in the sling starts to rotate the pin.
On a screw collar pin that rotation is the failure mechanism. A sling shifting under a settling load, or vibration transmitted from plant nearby, will slowly unscrew the pin over minutes or hours. It rarely happens quickly enough for anyone to see it happening.
The second consideration is angle. A shackle loaded in line with the pin carries its full rating. Loaded at an angle across the bow it carries substantially less, and published derating tables cover a limited range of angles — beyond that range no figure is published because none applies. On a multi-leg sling every leg is at an angle by definition, which is why the bow shackle exists and why putting a multi-leg sling into a dee shackle is a genuine mistake rather than a preference.
How to Use
- Match the chain size exactly: The fitting is machined for one chain diameter.
- Keep the assembly one grade: Mixing grades derates the whole sling.
- Check it fits the crane hook: Freely, without being forced or able to tip.
- Check the temperature rating: -40 °C to +200 °C on this range.
- Do not modify: Never weld, heat, machine, drill or repaint.
Warning: The master link carries the entire load. A link that does not fit the crane hook freely, or that can tip in the hook, is the wrong size regardless of its rating.
Safety Information
- Never exceed the marked Working Load Limit.
- Use components of the same grade throughout the assembly.
- Derate for included angle on multi-leg slings.
- Operating range -20 °C to +200 °C.
- Withdraw any fitting showing wear beyond the manufacturer’s stated limit, distortion, cracks or elongation.
- Never weld, heat treat, machine or repaint.
- Assemblies built or altered require proof testing and recertification.
- Thorough examination by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months under LOLER 1998.
Inspection and Maintenance
Measure section diameter at the crown and at every bearing point against original dimensions and withdraw at the manufacturer’s stated wear limit — the crown wears against the crane hook and is usually the worst point. Check for elongation by measuring internal length, since a stretched link is direct evidence of overload and grounds for immediate withdrawal. Look for nicks, gouges and cracking at the points of maximum curvature, and confirm the marking and traceability code remain legible.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is Green Pin white?
Finish identifies the range on site: Green Pin white, Cobra red, Kito Grade 10 grey. It is also why lifting fittings must never be repainted — fresh paint destroys the identification and hides the cracks an inspection looks for.
Q: How does the temperature rating compare?
Green Pin Grade 8 runs -40 °C to +200 °C. Cobra Grade 80 is -20 °C to +200 °C, so Green Pin is better in the cold. The Kito ranges go to +400 °C, so they are the choice for hot work.
Q: Can I mix Green Pin with other Grade 8 fittings?
Physically the grades match, but assemblies should be built from one manufacturer’s range wherever possible, and any assembly built or altered requires proof testing and recertification.
Q: What does the traceability code do?
It ties the fitting back to its manufacturing batch and certificate. A fitting whose marking has become illegible must be withdrawn regardless of condition.
