There are so many different types of rope fittings you can use on your wire ropes to help increase your efficiency on the projects you’re working on. Rope fittings are used to secure the ends of your wire rope and prevent any sort of fraying, saving you both time and money on your lifting equipment.

Rope fittings come in several different types, sizes, and finishes that you can mix and match to suit your specific needs. In this blog, we’ll be exploring a few of the different kinds of rope fittings you can use for your wire ropes.

Thimble rope fittings

Thimble rope fittings are mostly used with wire ropes to prevent the rope eye from being crushed under any pressure provided by a load, as well as to prevent wear and tear on the rope itself. When the rope assembly is fitted with an eye at the end, the thimble is placed to form the eye of the loop before securing the rope in the ferrule.

Grip rope fittings

Grip fittings are used to clamp the loose ends of wire ropes after they’ve been looped back to form their eyes. Generally, wire rope assemblies require at least three grips to function, depending on the wire and the specific application to properly secure the ends.

Ferrules

Ferrules are used to terminate the ends of wire ropes and form sturdy eyes. Oval-shaped sleeves are pressed around the wire rope to form an eye or to create a stopper at the end of the rope. This pressing can be done by hand or by using special tools like hydraulic presses.

Turnbuckles

These rope fittings are attached to wire ropes to allow users to easily adjust the tension of the wire rope. Turnbuckle rope fittings mostly feature two eye bolts, one at each end of a metal frame. The tension of the wire rope can be adjusted by rotating the frame of the turnbuckle rope fitting.

Socket rope fittings

Wire rope sockets are permanent rope fittings that are attached to their ropes using hydraulic presses. They can be used in place of thimble rope fittings, grips or ferrules, but do have their own unique features.