Key Clamp Female Swivel Part for 42.4mm Tube, Socket with Forked Lug, Galvanised, Size C

This is the female half of the key clamp swivel: a socket that fits on the end of a tube, with a forked lug that is riveted to a male part so the joint can turn. The end of a 42.4mm tube pushes into the closed socket and one grub screw locks it. The fork straddles the lug of a male part and a rivet or bolt through both makes the pivot. Paired with the male part it forms a single swivel, the usual way to join a sloping rail to a post on ramps and stairs. It is malleable cast iron with a galvanised finish for indoor and outdoor use. The price shown is for one part, with a minimum order of 10.

What it is for

Rails at any angle. Fixed key clamps join tubes at set angles. A swivel made from a female and a male part turns through a wide arc, so a rail can meet a post at whatever slope the ramp or stair needs.

Build your own swivel. Buying the halves separately lets you combine them as you need: one female on a rail end with a male part on a post, two females on a double male part at a corner, or a replacement half for a damaged joint.

No welding. The socket fits with a hex key; only a rivet or bolt is needed at the pivot.

Galvanised malleable iron. Suitable for outdoor ramps and steps.

Where it is used

Sloping handrails on access ramps and external steps, raking rails on stairs and banks, adjustable frames and canopies, and any tube joint where the angle cannot be fixed in advance.

Specifications

Limits to know before you buy

This part is not normally used on its own; it needs a male part to make a swivel. It is not designed to take lateral loads. No load rating is published. Where a swivel rail must carry a set load, ask a structural engineer to check the design.

Which swivel part do you need?

How many do you need?

One female part for each rail end that meets a post at an angle, paired with one male part. A ramp handrail with a sloping rail between two posts needs two female and two male parts.

Choosing the right size

Key clamps are sized by the tube's outside diameter. 42.4mm tube is often sold as 1¼" or 32mm nominal bore. Measure across the tube: this part will not grip 33.7mm or 48.3mm scaffold tube. Other sizes of the same part:

• 33.7mm female swivel part
• 48.3mm female swivel part

Fitting and care

Push the female part fully onto the rail end and tighten its grub screw with a 5/16" hex key. Slide the fork over the male part's lug, line up the holes and fit a rivet or a bolt with a locking nut. Set the angle, then tighten everything. Check the joint after the first week and once a year. Touch up scratched galvanising with zinc-rich paint.

Frequently asked questions

Ordering and delivery

Order 10 or more online, with Express UK Delivery to your site and same-day dispatch on orders before 2pm, Monday to Friday. For a larger job, call 01744 520 110 or email sales@industrialsuppliesco.co.uk and we will confirm availability and delivery before you order.