What Does a Cotter Pin Do

Cotter pins are wire formed pins with two prongs that separate during installation. They are used as a locking device to hold pins or castle nuts in place. These low-cost and highly versatile fasteners are used virtually everywhere.

What can I use instead of a cotter pin?

Instead of cotter pins, you can also try ring pins, as these have no sharp edges, but they tend to work their way out of the hole and fall off, thus making them an undesirable choice. The next option is to use seizing wire and wrap the turnbuckle to the screw hole.

How do R clips work?

The straight leg of the R-clip is pushed into a hole near one end of the shaft until the semicircular “belly” in the middle of the other, bent leg of the R-clip grips one side of the shaft resisting any force removing the R-clip from its hole. … R-clips are similar in function to split pins and linchpins.