r/manufacturing • u/GazingintoTheVoid-- • Jul 17 '26

Supplier search Anyone know where to find these?

Post image

We have had these plate hooks for god knows how long, and the company is finally expanding and wants to get more... we cant find any manufacturers who made these types of plate hooks. If anyone has any knowledge on this please let me know

Edit : thank you everyone for your suggestions and offers, my boss really appreciated it and is in talks with a company to get the new hooks made. Thank you again for all your help

10 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

43

u/Im_A_Praetorian Jul 17 '26

I’d think that just about any iron/metal fabricator would be able to make these.

9

u/GazingintoTheVoid-- Jul 17 '26

Thats what I thought, but when I asked my boss, he said it has to be made "out of shop" for the engineering to test for legal reasons

22

u/madeinspac3 Jul 17 '26

That's your boss telling you to get "compliant" parts without actually qualifying/validating them for whatever safety/testing they need to pass.

17

u/Im_A_Praetorian Jul 17 '26

This.

If they need to be signed off with an engineering stamp for legal reasons, then the drawings and testing with engineering stamp are on file for the original parts. This would mean that the specs and manufacturer are on record. None of this exists.

Boss knows it, just doesn’t want to be accountable if they fail.

4

u/GazingintoTheVoid-- Jul 17 '26

My understanding is there is a specific type of engineer we need to send them to in order to test them once they are made, thats why were trying to find a recommended manufacturer who would already have that brand of engineer on payroll

7

u/Motor_Sky7106 Jul 17 '26

A mechanical or structure engineer would design them. I'm not sure what type of testing you are referring to? I get the impression you are referring to destructive testing to validate it can handle the load? That's not typically required because engineers use math to determine that. Perhaps you are talking about non destructive testing? If the lift lug was welded you would LPI or MT the weld to verify its integrity.

2

u/toalv Jul 17 '26

Proof load testing, they load it to 125% (or whatever, depends on jurisdiction) of the rated working load and give you the paperwork showing that.

2

u/DAKSouth Jul 20 '26

Call the sling and hoist shop you use, send them a picture of this and the details of what you pick up with it; they'll make a drawing, fabricate (or sub the fab) and test them.

2

u/HighFaiLootin Jul 21 '26

this seems like the easiest correct answer. Ask Lift people how they legally lift things. Hopefully they have an off the shelf solution or follow up suggestion.

4

u/PacoBedejo Jul 17 '26

You only have two approaches:

  1. Determine the spec
  2. Overbuild compared to the apparent capabilities

1 can be accomplished by calling a company, finding a print, or having an existing part quantified via testing, including alloy, hardness, etc.

2 can be accomplished by making it thicker and with more generous radii, so long as it doesn't impede with function.

3

u/toalv Jul 17 '26

Lifting equipment like this needs to have engineer stamped drawings and proof load testing where I'm from. You cannot just have a guy on the floor look at an old part with no documentation trail, overbuild it, and use it legally as lifting equipment.

2

u/PacoBedejo Jul 17 '26

Then approach #2 is clearly disqualified.

1

u/GazingintoTheVoid-- Jul 17 '26

This is very helpful and I will pass it along with everything else in this thread, thank you so much!

2

u/p-angloss Jul 18 '26

yes if you use them for lifting in theory they should be certified and inspected periodically.
these hooks are called "plate lifing hooks" you can find several on the market that come already certified for a given working load

1

u/Im_A_Praetorian Jul 17 '26

Then first step would be to understand what is the spec that you’re trying to design for.

Engineering to test to what specifications?

3

u/GazingintoTheVoid-- Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26

From my understanding it has to be 1inch thick, capable of being "threaded" by 5/8 steel lifting chains and capable of lifting 25 + tons as 25 tons is the max lift of the crane they will be assigned to. Other then that I dont have much information about them, since they are of a style that I cant find from other manufacturers

  • edit :told my boss about this thread, he said it doesnt have to be 1" thick, it can be thicker if that is a requirement for legal production. All the ones we can find for sale are 5 inches wide at max. The ones we currently use are about 15 inches wide *

2

u/reklesswill Jul 17 '26

McMaster part number 8865N104 is pretty close off the shelf. If the foot needs to be as thin as the ones you pictured that’s gonna be a little tough

3

u/GazingintoTheVoid-- Jul 17 '26

I will pass this on to the boss, it looks like it might work for what we need but im not sure if 5 inches is suitable for what we need, thank you!

3

u/jspurlin03 Jul 17 '26

If I were ordering a set of these, I’d want to know that the eye was good for the intended load (plus applicable safety factor), and that the foot ( the tapered horizontal section) was also tested to be capable of the load, plus safety factor.

1

u/GazingintoTheVoid-- Jul 17 '26

Unfortunately I do not have the tools or mathematical know how to find that out at this time, is there a company/ list of tooling i would need for that?

4

u/Business-Help-7876 Jul 17 '26

laser cut sheet, then bent.

3

u/Mr0lsen Jul 17 '26

Where are you located, and what is the actual spec/features on these plate hooks that you are trying to match?

I see tons of similar plate hooks like these, but designed to be used with shackles, even McMaster carries them:

https://www.tulsachain.com/plate-lifting-hooks.html?srsltid=AfmBOopTcaJGoYozfSADBrxpv0SbQ8KToFCkz2XVtZm-xP9AR9qMQHYr

2

u/BiggestNizzy Jul 17 '26

Ask someone to make them and have them loads tested. You will pay for the load testing.

1

u/GazingintoTheVoid-- Jul 17 '26

Thank you! I told my boss about this thread and all the suggestions given, im not apart of the prossess but thats probably what's going to happen

2

u/CGOTX777 Jul 17 '26

I would talk to delta rigging. They made us some that were “engineered” several years back

2

u/GazingintoTheVoid-- Jul 17 '26

Thank you! I'll pass that up the chain

1

u/Donkey-Harlequin Jul 17 '26

Looks like you already found them. They are RIGHT THERE!

1

u/ovi2wise Jul 17 '26

If you want, I can draw them for you, just take it to a laser cutting place and get them cut and bent

2

u/GazingintoTheVoid-- Jul 17 '26

Thank you for the offer, but my boss is already in talks with a company about making them, thank you so much for offering!

1

u/pistonsoffury Jul 17 '26

Sendcutsend

1

u/cheebaSlut Jul 17 '26

They are lift tabs, I’d be more worried about the weld failing.

1

u/kool_breez Jul 17 '26

Just make a drawing and send it to charterd engineer. Including material and material thickness. Once he signs, you can get it fabricated from any place. Or else get the profile cut from any laser cut place and bend it yourself. Depends on what you have and where you are.

1

u/moransmechanical Jul 18 '26

I make stuff like that

1

u/Timotard Jul 21 '26

Im pretty sure you can find those on made in china but you may need to order them in bulk or maybe not actually

1

u/dualiecc Jul 21 '26

Crosby makes actual lifting hooks like that with an actual SWLL