Turnbuckles are used for adjusting tension in ropes, cables, tie rods and other tensioning systems, as well as for pulling together and pushing apart anchor points. Heavy duty rigging turnbuckles consist of two threaded bolts, each screwed into the ends of a metal frame. One side is left-hand threaded and the other is right-hand threaded, so riggers can turn the metal frame to push apart and pull together the threaded bolts. These threaded bolts come with a wide variety of end fittings and attachments including jaws, eyes, clevises, hooks and many more. All cable turnbuckles and turnbuckle hardware feature UNC threads so you can change out end fittings and bodies as needed.

Whether you are using a small turnbuckle or a large turnbuckle, they should be used for straight or inline pulling, and tensioning only. At Tri-State Rigging Equipment we pride ourselves on providing our customers with only the highest quality industrial turnbuckles and turnbuckle hardware, from only the most reputable manufacturers. If you are unable to find what you are looking for, or if you don’t know exactly what you need, call or email our sales team to speak with a rigging product specialist.

Turnbuckle Materials

Our heavy-duty industrial turnbuckles are always made from one of the following:

• hot rolled steel
• galvanized steel
• stainless steel
• brass
• aluminum

Turnbuckles are very popular in the marine rigging industry, where corrosion resistance is often the name of the game. Stainless steel offers the most corrosion resistance but can be expensive. On the other hand, galvanized steel is more economical, but less corrosion resistant. Brass turnbuckles are the ideal solution for applications that require explosion and spark resistance. Aluminum turnbuckles lead the industry in light weight and low-cost design.

Our heavy-duty stainless-steel turnbuckles can also be equipped with an enclosure, called a pipe, covering the threads and body of the cable turnbuckle. Sometimes referred to as a closed body turnbuckle, this option is very popular in the architecture industry where cosmetics are a top priority.

Turnbuckle Hardware and Fittings

Threaded Rods

The most basic turnbuckle fitting, threaded rod turnbuckle fittings are simply a steel rod with standard threads on the end that can be easily connected to a post or other mounting surface.

Eyes

An eye is a solid loop end, mainly used with wire rope. The solid construction of turnbuckle eyes ensures that there is no way for the wire rope to slip through. Elongated eyes are not only good for reducing stress on the turnbuckle hardware, but they also make it easier to connect to marine rigging equipment.

Forks or Jaws

When you have a fixed anchor point or the anchor point must be secured from slipping off the fitting, fork or jaw turnbuckles are a perfect solution. A fork or jaw is a wishbone shaped anchor point secured by a nut and bolt, or pin and cotter.

Hooks

Hooks offer the quickest attachment and release when it comes to turnbuckle hardware. Hooks are very versatile and can be an ideal option for a wide variety of turnbuckle applications. A cable turnbuckle with two hook fittings, called a hook and hook turnbuckle, can have hooks that open the same way or hooks that open opposite ways depending on what you need for your specific rigging application.

Deck Toggles

A deck toggle is a mounting bracket around a “T” shaped bar. This allows the turnbuckle to be securely mounted on one end and able to be rotated 180° parallel with the mounting bracket. Deck toggle turnbuckles are most attached to deck posts.

Drop Pins

Drop pin turnbuckle fittings consist of a pin that can be flipped flat into the body of the threaded bolt and can also be flipped out at a 90° angle from the threaded bolt. This allows the bolt to be threaded through a hole while the pin is flipped in and then securely held in place while flipped out.

Lag Screws

Used for permanent attachment to anchor points, lag screw turnbuckle fittings are threaded and pointed just like any other screw.

Stub Ends

Stub end turnbuckle fittings are not used to attach to anchor points like other turnbuckle hardware, but rather, are used to separate or push objects apart.

Swage Studs

Swage stud turnbuckle fittings are used to seamlessly connect a turnbuckle to the end of a wire rope. Swage stud turnbuckle fittings are threaded to accept wire rope wires directly into the fitting, and to be swaged for a secure attachment between the wire rope and the turnbuckle.

Rigging turnbuckle hardware and assemblies are extremely versatile and can be configured in countless combinations to fit any rigging application. Some of the most popular configurations include:

• Jaw and Jaw Turnbuckles
• Jaw and Eye Turnbuckles
• Eye and Eye Turnbuckles
• Hook and Hook Turnbuckles
• Hook and Eye turnbuckles

These are only a fraction of the combinations that are possible when configuring a rigging turnbuckle. Even better than the near limitless combinations of fittings, however, is the interchangeability of turnbuckle hardware. For example, to change a jaw and jaw turnbuckle into a jaw and hook turnbuckle, all you need to do is unscrew one jaw fitting and screw in a hook fitting. This top tier customizability and interchangeability is why heavy-duty industrial turnbuckles are an extremely valuable part of any rigging operation.

Tri-State Rigging Equipment is a service provider and distributor for all heavy duty industrial turnbuckles for rigging and lifting; serving clients from coast to coast, Canada, Mexico and especially focused in the states of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida, and Oklahoma.