Safety hook

A safety hook comprising a unitary body having a shank curving downwardly and forwardly into a bill with the upper end of said bill being in spaced relation to said shank to provide a throat,

• said body at the upper end thereof being equipped with a passageway adapted to receive a wire rope, said passageway extending from the rear of said body forwardly therethrough, said passageway being relatively elongated and being longitudinally arcuate,
• a latch member pivotally mounted on said shank and extending across said throat in a first position to releasably engage said bill to close said throat,
• a bolt pivotally securing said latch member to said shank for arcuate movement of said latch member to a second position upon said bill,
• said passageway having a smooth upper wall and a lower wall interrupted to provide a forwardly extending recess terminating in a bolt-receiving opening, said bolt extending through said opening into said recess, and
• a spring and nut in said recess mounted on said bolt, said recess being constructed and arranged relative to said nut and bolt so as to shield the same from a wire rope in said passageway.