Safety wire uses lock wire pliers or duckbills while cotter pins use a split pin puller, a pair of side cutters, or needle nose pliers. The third difference is that both fasteners require special types of tools to install or remove. As such, a lock wire goes through a hole on the head of a bolt whereas a split cotter pin goes through a hole on the threaded shaft and wraps around a nut. The difference is that a cotter pin only goes in one bolt or stud whereas a safety wire connects together more than one fastener.Īnother key difference between cotter pins and lock wire is that lockwires secure bolts while cotter pins secure nuts. Cotter pins vs safety wireĬotter pins serve the same purpose as a safety wire. If there is a cotter pin, you bend the ends over the cotter pin to keep it from moving. When installing it, you put it through the hole and bend split ends to the opposite sides. However, you can use them interchangeably.Ī typical split pin has an eye on one end and the other end is two split ends pressed together. It resembles an R clips but instead of having one straight stem, both of them are springy but one is looped at the end. They are also common on studs used in lawn mower deck assembly.Īnother type of cotter pin is the bow tie locking pin. It keeps the hitch pin from coming off the trailer assembly. One of the most common places you will find them is on the trailer hitch pin. R type cotter pins are common on unthreaded shafts and studs. But they serve a similar purpose of keeping things on the shaft. The main difference is that an R pin overhangs on the sides and is therefore not a direct substitute for snap rings. R clips go over a shaft to lock it in place just like an external snap ring does. They have one straight stem and the other is springy or curved. They are known as hairpin cotters or R clips. But there are those that look exactly like a beefier hair clip. Types of cotter pinsĪt a glance, cotter pins look like a straight hair clip. They are highly formable and don’t break easily. A pack of cotter keysĬotter pins are simply bent metal strips made from ductile metal, mainly mild steel. It keeps a nut from coming off, especially on suspension components such as ball joints. That is why I wrote this article to share how I use pliers to remove cotter pins when I cannot find my cotter pin puller tool.īut before I dive right into how to remove the split cotter pins with pliers, let me first explain what a cotter pin is and where you will find it on a vehicle.Ī cotter pin is a type of metal fastener for locking round fasteners to keep them from working loose. But that does not mean I cannot be creative when I do not have the correct tool at hand. And this also applies to when I am removing cotter pins from a vehicle’s suspension. I like to use the right tool for the job all the time because it is the right thing to do.
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