A structural steel plate at the top of the hoistway or machine room from which suspension rope terminations or hitch assemblies are anchored.
Full Definition
The rope hitch plate is the primary load-bearing structural element that transfers the combined weight of the elevator car, rated load, and rope tensions into the building structure. It is designed as a thick steel plate or fabricated beam welded or bolted to the overhead machine beam or hoistway structure. Each suspension rope is terminated with a wedge socket, thimble, or swaged fitting that is secured to the hitch plate via a rope shackle and castellated nut. The hitch plate must be accessible for inspection; visual checks of the termination hardware, nuts, and spring isolators (where fitted) are performed at every maintenance visit. Correct load distribution across all ropes is verified by spring height equalisation.
