At 110 mm this is the largest gate opening in the Kratos connector range, and it exists to go straight over structural members that no other connector will fit. Its Class A rating marks it as an anchor connector: shaped to attach directly to the anchor point rather than as a general-purpose link in a system. Stainless steel throughout, which makes it the right specification for permanent installations and for the marine, offshore and washdown environments where a plated connector seizes within a season.
Key Features
- 110 mm gate opening: The largest in the range by a wide margin, clipping directly over beams, columns and structural members that would otherwise need a sling.
- Class A anchor connector: Designed to attach directly to the anchor point, with geometry to suit rather than being a general-purpose connector pressed into service.
- Stainless steel construction: Resists the salt, moisture and chemical attack that destroy plated steel, making it suitable for permanent installation and harsh environments.
- Double action locking: Locks automatically on closing and requires a deliberate two-stage action to open.
- 20 kN breaking strength: Above the EN 362 requirement.
- Long service life: Where a plated hook might last a season offshore, stainless runs for years.
Technical Specifications
| Property |
Value |
| Product Code |
FA 50 210 11 |
| Material |
Stainless steel (INOX) |
| Breaking Strength |
20 kN |
| Gate Opening |
110 mm |
| Operating Type |
Double action locking |
| Conformity |
BS EN 362 Class A |
| PPE Category |
Category III |
BS EN 362 Class A | Stainless Steel | 110 mm Gate | Category III PPE
Conforms to BS EN 362 Class A, the classification for anchor connectors designed to attach directly to a specified anchor. Stainless steel construction for corrosive environments. 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
The combination of a very large gate and stainless construction points at specific work: offshore platforms and vessels, harbour and dockside structures, water and wastewater treatment, chemical and food processing plant, and any permanently rigged system exposed to weather. The 110 mm opening lets it go directly over substantial steelwork without an anchorage sling, which saves both a component and the time to wrap it. For general inland work on smaller members, a scaffold hook at 50 mm or a rebar hook at 60 mm will be more practical and considerably cheaper.
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 Anchorage Hook
- Assess the structure: A large gate will fit over most things, but the member must be capable of withstanding fall arrest forces.
- Clip on and confirm it has locked: The double action mechanism locks automatically. Confirm by attempting to open without operating it.
- Check the geometry: A large hook on a large member can rotate into a position where it levers against the structure. Confirm it cannot.
- Load along the spine: Class A geometry positions the load. Let the hook find its position rather than forcing it.
- Rinse after saltwater exposure: Stainless resists corrosion but salt deposits still cause stiffness in the mechanism.
- Avoid contact with plated steel in permanent installations: Dissimilar metals accelerate corrosion of the less noble one.
Warning: Category III PPE for trained, competent persons only. Confirm the anchor structure can withstand fall arrest forces, and that the hook cannot rotate into a position where it could lever open. Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall.
Safety Information
- For use only by trained and competent persons within a safe system of work.
- The anchor structure must be capable of withstanding fall arrest forces.
- Confirm the gate has locked after every connection.
- Check the hook cannot lever open against the structure.
- Rinse with fresh water after saltwater or chemical exposure.
- Avoid direct contact with dissimilar metals in permanent installations.
- Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall.
- Inspection by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Inspection and Maintenance
Stainless corrodes slowly but not never, and the form to watch for is crevice corrosion in the gate mechanism where deposits sit undisturbed. Rinse with clean fresh water after exposure and operate the mechanism through its full travel while doing so. Confirm the double action engages and releases positively every time, since a mechanism that has become vague is on its way to failing. Inspect the body for pitting, which is how stainless corrodes, and check the large throat for wear and any opening, which on a hook this size is easy to miss. Where the hook is permanently installed and rarely handled, the mechanism is what will have deteriorated between inspections.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a Class A connector?
An anchor connector, shaped to attach directly to a specified type of anchor rather than serving as a general link in a system. Class B is the general purpose classification, Class M adds minor axis loading, Class T positions the load in a set direction. Class A is specifically about connecting to the anchor itself.
Q: What can I fit a 110 mm gate over?
Most structural steelwork you would otherwise need a sling for: beam flanges, columns, substantial pipework, handrail assemblies. That is the point of it. Measure the member and compare, but at 110 mm very little is out of reach.
Q: Anchorage hook or anchorage sling?
The hook clips straight on and off, which is far quicker where the anchor is used repeatedly. A sling wraps, which handles awkward shapes a hook cannot and costs a fraction as much. On a large regular member used daily, the hook earns its price; on an occasional anchor, the sling is the sensible choice.
Q: Is stainless necessary?
Only where corrosion is the limiting factor: offshore, coastal, washdown areas, chemical plant, or anywhere equipment is left permanently installed outdoors. Inland and indoors it is money spent for nothing.
