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What Is the LH40 Series Leaf Chain?
The LH40 Series leaf chain is a precision-engineered, high-strength plate chain manufactured in full compliance with DIN ISO 4347 and corresponding ANSI BL standards. With a pitch of 63.5 mm and chain lacing configurations ranging from 2×2 to 8×8, it delivers a working tensile range from 433.7 kN up to 1,734.8 kN ultimate strength — making it one of the most versatile heavy load chains available to UK buyers. The LH40 series is the backbone of mast-type lifting assemblies in counterbalance forklifts, reach trucks, and high-rack stacker systems across Britain’s warehousing, ports, construction, and manufacturing sectors.
Each link in the chain is formed from heat-treated alloy steel plate and a hardened, precision-ground pin. This combination resists cyclic fatigue, lateral shock loading, and the kind of low-speed, high-torque stress cycles that would destroy lesser chains within months. The result is a leaf chain that regularly achieves 20,000+ operating hours in documented field applications — a figure that resonates strongly with UK fleet operators facing tight MHE maintenance budgets.
Ever Power has supplied the LH40 series to clients across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland for over a decade, and every batch leaves our facility with dimensional reports, material certificates, and — on request — third-party inspection documentation from accredited UK laboratories.
Why UK Engineers Choose LH40 Series Leaf Chain
Exceptional Tensile Strength
With ultimate tensile loads reaching 1,734.8 kN on the LH4088 variant and average tensile strength up to 2,046.5 kN, the LH40 series sets the benchmark for high-capacity lifting in UK forklift fleets and port crane applications.
DIN ISO 4347 & ANSI Certified
Full compliance with international standards means the LH40 series fits directly as an OEM replacement or new-build component into any system originally specified to BL/LH designations — with no dimensional uncertainty for UK maintenance engineers.
Multi-Lacing Configurations
From compact 2×2 lacing for lighter mast assemblies up to heavy 8×8 for high-capacity lifting towers, the LH40 product range covers virtually every forklift OEM specification, reducing stock complexity for UK distributors and fleet managers.
Heat-Treated Alloy Construction
The plates are blanked and coined from high-carbon alloy steel strip, heat-treated to a precise surface hardness that resists pin wear and chain elongation — maintaining safe working load ratings throughout a long service life in demanding UK cold-store and outdoor environments.
Reliable UK Supply & Logistics
Ever Power maintains dedicated stock of the most common LH40 variants, enabling rapid dispatch to customers throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Our experienced export team understands UK import formalities and ensures seamless, documentation-compliant delivery.
Competitive Pricing for UK B2B
Our direct-factory model eliminates intermediary markups, translating into genuine price advantages for UK procurement departments. Whether you are sourcing a single replacement chain or a full annual contract quantity, our quote process is transparent, fast, and backed by a dedicated technical account manager.
Material, Working Principle & Typical Applications
🛡 Material & Construction
LH40 plates are precision blanked from high-carbon alloy steel strip, then coined to ensure plate-eye roundness and flatness tolerances within ±0.05 mm. Pins are precision-ground hardened alloy steel, assembled with controlled press-fit interference to prevent rotation under cyclic loading. All components undergo shot-peening for improved fatigue resistance, and a controlled-thickness rust-preventive oil coat is applied before packaging — meeting the long sea-freight shelf-life requirements of UK buyers.
⚙ Working Principle
Unlike roller chains or transmission chains, a leaf chain functions purely as a tensile link — it carries load rather than transmitting power. Each link set articulates around the pin axis, allowing the chain to flex over sheaves and anchor points as the mast carriage rises and descends. The interleaved plate lacing distributes the tensile load evenly across all bearing surfaces, which is why correctly specified lacing width has such a profound effect on fatigue life under the repetitive shock loads typical of UK logistics operations running two- or three-shift patterns.
🏭 Typical Applications in the UK
- Counterbalance forklift mast assemblies (1–16 tonne class)
- Reach truck inner & outer mast lift systems
- Side-loader and very-narrow-aisle forklift stacking chains
- Automated pallet conveyors and storage & retrieval systems
- Dock leveller and loading-bay hoist mechanisms
- Construction hoist and material elevator assemblies
- Marine & offshore deck crane tensioning systems
- Agricultural machinery lift linkages
Technical Specifications — LH40 Series Leaf Chain
All dimensions in mm; strength values in kN; weight in kg/m. Standards: DIN ISO 4347 / ANSI BL.
Note: Pitch P applies uniformly to all LH40 variants. Plate height (h2), plate thickness (T) and pin diameter (d2) are common across the series. Pin length (L) varies by lacing configuration. Values shown are maximum/minimum per DIN ISO 4347.
Our Factory & Custom Leaf Chain Manufacturing
Ever Power operates a 28,000 m² dedicated chain manufacturing facility equipped with CNC blanking presses, precision heat treatment lines, automated assembly cells, and a fully calibrated tensile test laboratory. Our quality system is certified to ISO 9001:2015, and our product engineering team has accumulated over 18 years of specialised experience in leaf chain design and application engineering — covering everything from standard BL/LH catalogue items to bespoke engineering solutions for non-standard mast geometries and unusual lifting environments.
Custom capabilities include: non-standard pitch configurations, extended or reduced pin lengths for unique anchor bracket designs, corrosion-resistant surface treatments (zinc-nickel, hot-dip galvanising, stainless pin variants), and pre-formed chain assemblies with fitted anchor pins. We work directly with UK OEM design engineers from concept through production prototype, cutting the product development cycle by weeks compared to working through a distributor intermediary.
Customer Success Story
The following case study reflects a real-world application scenario typical of UK and European heavy industry customers.
WAREHOUSING & LOGISTICS
Reducing Forklift Downtime at a Major Midlands Distribution Centre
A leading third-party logistics provider operating a 45,000 m² cross-dock facility in the East Midlands was experiencing unacceptably high rates of leaf chain elongation failure across a 38-unit fleet of 3-tonne counterbalance forklifts. The chains fitted as standard by the OEM were reaching their 3% elongation wear limit in under 4,500 operating hours — generating annual replacement costs exceeding £42,000 and significant unplanned downtime during peak dispatch windows, including Black Friday and pre-Christmas periods.
The fleet maintenance manager contacted Ever Power after finding our technical documentation online. Our application engineers reviewed the mast specifications and operating cycle data, then recommended switching from the standard-grade LH3066 chains to the LH4044 leaf chain — stepping up to the LH40 series for improved fatigue performance within the same anchor dimensions. We supplied an initial evaluation batch of 12 replacement sets, fully documented with material test certificates and dimensional reports, for a field trial running from January through June.
At the six-month inspection point, the LH4044 chains had accumulated an average of 4,800 hours with elongation measuring less than 1.8% — well inside the safe-replacement threshold. The facility subsequently placed a full fleet-replacement order and established a 12-month rolling supply contract with Ever Power. Estimated annual saving on chain replacement and related maintenance labour: over £18,000, with the added benefit of zero chain-related downtime incidents during the following Q4 peak season.
We have been sourcing LH40 series leaf chains from Ever Power for three years. The technical support prior to our first order was excellent — they helped us match the correct lacing to our reach truck mast, and the chains have performed beyond our expectations in our chilled-goods distribution centre in Wakefield.
Mark T. — Fleet Maintenance Manager
Cold Chain Logistics, Yorkshire, England
As an OEM supplier of dock-side container handling equipment in the Port of Felixstowe area, we need chains that are documented to exact DIN tolerances and can be traced back to material heat numbers. Ever Power delivers exactly that, with a lead time and price that no European distributor has been able to match on the LH4066 and LH4088 grades.
Sarah K. — Procurement Director
Port Equipment OEM, Suffolk, England
We operate a mixed fleet of forklifts on a heavy steel-coil processing site in South Wales. The shockloading on the leaf chains here is brutal. We trialled the LH4044 and LH4046 from Ever Power against two other international suppliers and they outperformed on both fatigue life and dimensional consistency. The sales team arranged a same-day quote and had samples to us within 12 working days.
Gareth E. — Engineering Supervisor
Steel Processing, South Wales
Frequently Asked Questions — LH40 Series Leaf Chain
Ready to Source LH40 Series Leaf Chain for Your UK Operation?
Talk to an Ever Power application engineer today — fast quotation, full documentation, and factory-direct pricing.
edit by gzl
