Used as a lifting or securement point, eye bolts are some of the most commonly used rigging fittings. And as is the case with all rigging fittings, the application determines which of the various types to use.
The four basic types are regular eye bolts, shoulder eye bolts, screw eye bolts and machinery eye bolts. All four of these basic types that Sail Rigging offers are manufactured in the drop forged process to ensure greater strength.
Regular and shoulder eye bolts are essentially the exact same part with the only obvious exception being the shoulder. The shoulder feature provides more stability to the base of the eye and therefore, makes it the recommended choice for angular loading. Regular eye bolts are not recommended for angular loading. Both regular and shoulder eye bolts have UNC type threads.
Screw eye bolts are designed for screwing into wood. And because of this, do not have a working load limit assigned to them because it is not possible to determine the various densities and conditions of the wood the eye bolts are screwed into.
Machinery eye bolts are designed with a shoulder and are designed for angular loading. The difference between machinery eye bolts and regular and shoulder type eye bolts is that the shank and threads of the machinery eye bolt do not protrude through the base metal. Therefore, all of the holding strength of the machinery eye bolt is on the threads.
Regular, shoulder and screw eye bolts have a hot dip galvanized finish and the machinery eye bolts are self-colored with a light rust preventative oil applied.
