Swivel Hooks Are They Even Useful in Any Way

A swivel hook is basically a rigging device used to position any cargo or swiveling under loads to accommodate twisting and load movement. These are critical in situations where chances are that the cargo would spin or sway. The load usually spins when a wire rope is used to lift it, or it may also twist due to climatic reasons, or another reason can be the quality of the sling. The swivel hooks are recognized and distinguished from other slings and hooks with their bearing and bushing fixed at the top of the swivel. 

Positioning Swivels

This is a type of swivel hooks that has no ball bearing. They are also referred to as chain swivels, regular swivels, or ball-bearing swivels. Their two end fittings are linked with a head and thread. As the name indicates, their role is to position a hook onto any pick point. These hooks do not revolve when they are under load. They properly connect the freight and avoid the stress on other elements of the rigging, but once the shipload is lifted, they would not whirl. 

The main components of the positioning swivels are the following.

1. First are their nut screws which are present on the thread. Their purpose is to secure the device.
2. Another important part of the swivel is their thread which is just a structural component of the lower-end fitting. This part of the position swivel is secured by the nut.
3. The last part of the positioning swivels is their end fittings. They look similar to a turnbuckle.

Ball Bearing Swivels

A ball bearing swivel is the wholesale swivel hooks that are completely different from the positioning swivels as they are used both for load positioning as well as spinning even when they are under load weight. This spinning while under the load helps to handle the load movement during the passage and averts any kinking and twisting in the rigging.

The main parts of the ball-bearing swivels are the following.

1. The first part is the bushing, where the bearing resides. The end fittings are also attached to this part. 
2. The second part is the bearing that could be either ball bearing or the tapered one. This permits the end fittings to spin under the load weight.
3. The last part of the ball-bearing swivels is the End fittings.