Custom Clevis Pins

Need a clevis pin a stockist can't supply? If it's an odd diameter, an over- or under-size head, a special grip length, an extra split-pin hole or a groove for a circlip, it has to be turned to order — standard ISO 2341 sizes too, from a single piece.

What Is a Clevis Pin?

A clevis pin joins a clevis — a U-shaped fork — to a rod, tang or linkage, forming a pivoting or quick-release connection that carries shear load. Most have a flat head at one end and a cross-drilled hole at the other for a split pin or R-clip to hold them in place; others are headless with a hole each end, or grooved for a circlip. Because the pin is the load-bearing pivot, its diameter, grip (effective) length and hole position are the features that matter — and the reason a non-standard one has to be made rather than bought.

Types We Machine

Forms & Standards

Form	Standard	Retained by
Headed, with hole	ISO 2341 form B, DIN 1444	Split pin / R-clip
Headed, plain	ISO 2341 form A	Press fit / other
Headless	ISO 2340, DIN 1443	Split pin both ends
Grooved	To drawing (DIN 1434 style)	Circlip / E-clip
Non-standard	To your drawing or sample	As required

What We Need to Quote

Detail	What to tell us
Diameter	Pin shank Ø (metric or imperial)
Grip / length	Effective (grip) length and overall length
Head	Standard, over-size, or headless
Retention	Split-pin hole (and its position), or groove for a circlip
Material & finish	Steel/zinc, A2, A4, brass; hardened if high-wear
Clip needed?	Matching split pins or R-clips supplied if wanted

Materials & Finishes

Material	Best for
Mild / carbon steel (self-colour or zinc)	General linkages and pivots, low cost
Alloy steel, hardened	High-wear pivots and heavy shear load
Stainless A2 (304) / A4 (316)	Marine, agricultural, outdoor and hygienic use
Brass & bronze	Non-magnetic, decorative, corrosion-resistant

Material certification to EN 10204 3.1 and inspection are available on request under our ISO 9001:2015 system.

Typical Applications

• Linkages, levers and quick-release pivots
• Hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder rod-end and clevis mounts
• Agricultural, trailer and towing equipment — worn pins in the field
• Machinery guards, gates and adjusters
• Restoration and replacement parts where the original pin is no longer sold

Not every pin on that list is a turning job. An eye-head pin with a collar and an open tolerance — the trailer and implement pattern — is often cheaper cast than machined, and the worked example says when: a Ø22 × 165 mm eye pin in C45, cast instead of CNC machined.

Custom & Non-Standard Clevis Pins — Our Speciality

Stock ranges cover common ISO 2341 sizes in steel and stainless. Everything else is us: odd diameters, special grip lengths, over-size heads, extra or repositioned split-pin holes, grooves for circlips, stepped or shouldered pins, and hardened or exotic materials. Draw it, or send the pin you're copying — with no tooling cost, one piece is a normal order, and we keep the CAD on file for reorders. See also our dowel pins and shoulder bolts & pins.

Where the pin has to stay with the machine, the retention and the anti-loss chain become the subject: lock pins with a retaining chain carries the R-clip sizes to DIN 11024, the lynch pin sizes to DIN 11023 and the chain wire diameters that go with each pin ø.

Will it fit? Clevis pin checks before you order

A 12 mm ISO 2341 pin is turned to h11 and runs in a 12 H11 fork; a ½″ pin is 12.7 mm and will not enter that fork, while a 12 mm pin in a ½″ fork rattles 0.7 mm. The grip matters as much as the diameter: if the length between the head and the split-pin hole is shorter than the fork's outer width plus the washer, the split pin cannot go in; if it is longer, the pin walks. Measure the fork across the outside faces and the hole with a caliper before ordering.

What do I need to connect a rod end to a fork?

A pin of the fork's hole diameter, a grip length equal to the fork's outside width plus one washer, the split-pin hole just clear of that washer, and a matching split pin or R-clip. Headless with two holes if the pin must be removable from either side.

Same clevis pin, but a longer grip, A4, or a circlip groove

Five millimetres more grip, A4 stainless for a marine deck fitting, a groove for a circlip instead of a split-pin hole, an oversize head, or an odd diameter such as 13 or 15 mm — each is a variant of the same drawing, one piece and up, quoted in 12 hours.

For a clevis pin retained by a circlip instead of a split pin, the circlip groove size chart gives the groove diameter, width and edge margin by pin diameter.

Frequently Asked Questions