The safety pin version exists for one reason: a screw collar pin can unscrew. Not dramatically, and not quickly, but a shackle left rigged with a sling that shifts against the pin, or one subject to vibration, will work its pin loose over time. Nobody watches a rigged shackle for a fortnight, which is exactly the problem.
A safety nut and bolt pin cannot do that. The bolt passes through, the nut secures it and a split pin locks the nut. It takes longer to fit and needs tools, and in exchange it stays where you put it.
**Use this version for:** anything left rigged, permanent installations, loads subject to vibration, marine and offshore work, and any connection where a sling can move against the pin.
Key Features
- Safety nut, bolt and split pin: Positively secured. Cannot vibrate or work loose regardless of how long it stays rigged.
- Bow body: Accepts multiple sling legs and tolerates load from varying directions.
- Capacity to 150 tonne: A much wider range than the screw pin version, which tops out at 55 tonne.
- 6:1 minimum breaking load up to 85 tonnes, reducing to 5:1 above 85 tonnes.
- Dual standard: BS EN 13889 from 0.5 t to 25 t plus US Fed. Spec. RR-C 271.
- Hot dipped galvanised: Full corrosion protection for shackles left in place outdoors, which is exactly what this version is for.
- Fully marked: CE, W.L.L., manufacturer's identification, size and traceability code.
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
W.L.L. (t) |
A (mm) |
B (mm) |
C (mm) |
D (mm) |
E (mm) |
Weight (kgs) |
| BPSAD.5 |
0.5 |
6.4 |
7.9 |
13.2 |
22 |
17 |
0.06 |
| BPSAD.75 |
0.75 |
8 |
10 |
13.5 |
26 |
21 |
0.11 |
| BPSAD1 |
1 |
9.5 |
11 |
16.7 |
31.8 |
23.1 |
0.15 |
| BPSAD1.5 |
1.5 |
11.1 |
12.5 |
18.9 |
36.6 |
26.9 |
0.21 |
| BPSAD2 |
2 |
12.7 |
16 |
20.6 |
41.4 |
32 |
0.37 |
| BPSAD3.25 |
3.25 |
15.9 |
19.1 |
27 |
50.8 |
38.1 |
0.65 |
| BPSAD4.75 |
4.75 |
19.1 |
22 |
31.8 |
60.4 |
46 |
1.04 |
| BPSAD6.5 |
6.5 |
22.2 |
25 |
36.5 |
71.4 |
53 |
1.56 |
| BPSAD8.5 |
8.5 |
25.4 |
28 |
42.9 |
81 |
60.5 |
2.32 |
| BPSAD9.5 |
9.5 |
28.6 |
32 |
46 |
91 |
68.5 |
3.28 |
| BPSAD12 |
12 |
31.8 |
35 |
51.6 |
100 |
76 |
4.51 |
| BPSAD13.5 |
13.5 |
34.9 |
38.1 |
57.2 |
111.2 |
84 |
5.91 |
| BPSAD17 |
17 |
38.1 |
42 |
60.3 |
122.2 |
92 |
7.89 |
| BPSAD25 |
25 |
44.5 |
50.8 |
73 |
146.1 |
106 |
13.4 |
| BPSAD35 |
35 |
50.8 |
57.2 |
82.6 |
171.5 |
122 |
18.85 |
| BPSAD55 |
55 |
63.5 |
70 |
105 |
203.2 |
145 |
37.86 |
| BPSAD85 |
85 |
76.2 |
82.6 |
127 |
220 |
165 |
62 |
Range continues to 150 tonne, top price £1,129.46. The dee version, BPSAD, runs 1 t to 85 t at £2 to £298.67. Full dimensional data is on the specification sheet.
BS EN 13889 | US Fed. Spec. RR-C 271 | MBL 6 x W.L.L. to 85t, 5 x Above
Grade 6 high tensile steel body and pin, quenched and tempered, meeting the Working Load Limit requirements of BS EN 13889 from 0.5 t to 25 t and US Federal Specification RR-C 271. Minimum breaking load is six times the W.L.L. up to 85 tonnes and five times above 85 tonnes. Temperature range 0 °C to +200 °C. Under LOLER 1998, thorough examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Suitable Applications
Safety pin shackles belong wherever a connection stays made: permanent and semi-permanent rigging, lifting points left in place between lifts, marine and offshore installations, structures subject to vibration, crane and hoist attachments, and anything left unattended between uses. They also suit high-value or high-consequence lifts where nobody wants to rely on a pin having stayed tight. For repeated connect-and-disconnect work, the screw pin version is faster and cheaper.
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 dee shackle exists and why putting a multi-leg sling into a dee shackle is a genuine mistake rather than a preference.
How to Use the Shackle
- Fit bolt, nut and split pin correctly: All three. A missing split pin means the nut can back off and you have a worse version of a screw pin shackle.
- Load in line with the pin, not across it: Sling legs on the bow, load on the pin.
- Watch included angle on multi-leg slings: Wide angles increase leg loads considerably.
- Do not substitute the pin: The bolt is a rated component matched to the body. An ordinary bolt of the same diameter is not equivalent.
- Check the split pin at inspection: It is the smallest component and the one most often missing.
- Do not modify: Never weld, heat, machine, drill or repaint.
Warning: The split pin is what secures the nut. A safety shackle without its split pin is not a safety shackle. Never substitute an ordinary bolt for the shackle pin, regardless of diameter — it is a rated component matched to the body.
Safety Information
- Never exceed the marked Working Load Limit.
- Bolt, nut and split pin must all be fitted correctly.
- Load in line with the pin. Do not side load unless rated for it.
- Never substitute an ordinary bolt for the shackle pin.
- Derate for included angle on multi-leg slings.
- Withdraw any shackle showing wear beyond the manufacturer’s stated limit, distortion, bow spreading, thread damage or cracks.
- Never weld, heat treat, machine or repaint.
- Operating range 0 °C to +200 °C.
- Thorough examination by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months under LOLER 1998.
Inspection and Maintenance
Measure the bow at its narrowest point against original dimensions, since overload causes spreading that is easy to miss by eye. Check the bolt for straightness and its thread and the nut for damage, stripping and corrosion. Confirm the split pin is present, correctly fitted and not corroded through — it is the smallest and cheapest part of the assembly and the one that most often goes missing, and without it the shackle has lost the feature you paid for. Inspect for wear at the crown and pin bearing points and withdraw at the manufacturer’s stated wear limit. On shackles left rigged outdoors, check the galvanising for breakdown and the assembly for seizure.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When must I use a safety pin rather than a screw pin?
Whenever the connection stays made. A screw collar pin can rotate loose under vibration or if a sling moves against it, and nobody checks a rigged shackle daily. Permanent installations, marine work, anything left in place between lifts, and any high-consequence lift should use the safety pin version.
Q: The split pin is missing. Can I use it?
No. The split pin secures the nut, and without it the nut can back off. Fit the correct replacement split pin from the manufacturer before use. It is the cheapest component in the assembly and it is the one doing the securing.
Q: Why does the safety factor drop above 85 tonnes?
6:1 up to 85 tonnes, 5:1 above. It reflects how the standard treats very large shackles, where the absolute forces involved make a 6:1 factor impractical. It is stated by the manufacturer and worth knowing if you are specifying at the top of the range.
Q: Why does the bow version go to 150t and the dee only to 85t?
Bow shackles are used for the heaviest multi-leg rigging, where dee shackles are inherently single-leg items. The range reflects demand rather than a limitation of the shape.
