What are snow blower shear pins?
Snowblowers are a must-have during the winter months. They take the hard work out of clearing the snow. One of the most important parts of the snowblower is the shear pins.
This is what Jodie has to say about them.
I was super happy when my husband bought me a snowblower.
Snow has been one of the biggest problems when Winter comes and…
…the tool really helps us clear things out of the way.
Also, away from our stuff. But then, one day, something clogged our snowblower.
My husband and I were so confused about what to do to fix our snowblower.
We ended up bringing our snowblower to the professional to fix.
It was so easy to fix though, we ended up asking why.
He told us then that it was the shear pin that broke.
We only needed to replace it and it was good as new! I really wished to know about this sooner.
It’ll relieve me of the stress I got just because our snowblower suddenly acted up.
Can you imagine what it would mean for you and your family?
Knowing about the tools you have can be a great benefit.
Especially when you have to take care of things by yourself without having to reach out here and there and losing money to do the things you can actually do alone!
Here are some things you should know about these pins. Read this article until the end to know more about it. In this blog, we also have an article about best single stage snow blowers on amazon that you might want to read about it.
What Are Snow Blower Shear Pins
Snow blowers are a great way to clear snow from your driveway and sidewalks. However, they can be a little difficult to use, and the shear pins can break. If you find that your snow blower is not working, it may be time to replace the shear pins.
What Is The Purpose Of A Shear Pin?
They say that great things come in little packages, and shear pins are a perfect illustration of this. Those small little pins that link your auger to the auger shaft may be a pain to repair when they break, but that is precisely what they are supposed to do, as they protect the gears in your auger gear case from more serious harm.
Why are snowblowers equipped with shear pins?
Two-stage three-stage snow blowers are fitted with four to six shear pins, one for each auger flight attached to the auger shaft. The pins enable the auger gear case to spin the auger shaft and augers, allowing snow to accumulate and be pushed into the impeller.
Why do shear pins fail to function properly?
Additionally, shear pins provide an important safety function: they protect the gears and gearbox. When a foreign item becomes lodged between the housing and the augers, the gears within the gear case begin to bind and wear. The shear pins are intended to break in order for the auger shaft and gears to continue spinning freely without being clogged by an item. If the augers are permanently connected to the shaft, the stuck item will ultimately cause severe damage to the gear case, necessitating replacement.
How to Know if Your Shear Pins are Broken
If your snow blower feels like it’s pushing snow rather than digesting it, or if snow is accumulating on either side of your auger housing, you’ve probably broken a shear bolt.
The auger shaft continues to spin after the shear bolt breaks, but the auger itself does not. Snow cannot be consumed or flung without the use of a spinning auger. As un-ingested snow accumulates in front of your snow blower, you will encounter additional resistance and your clearing pace will slow.
Halt the engine, remove the key, unhook the spark plug wire, and wait for all moving parts to stop if you suspect a shear bolt has broken. Visually inspect the augers when it’s safe to do so. If you can manually spin the auger along the auger shaft but don’t see the shear pin head or nut, you’ve broken a shear pin.
Are bolts capable of being used as shear pins?
Snow blower shear pins are engineered to break particularly to allow the gear case and auger shaft to continue spinning freely without resistance from the foreign item. While the snow blower will be unable to remove any snow and you will need to repair the damaged shear pins, the gear case will stay intact and operate correctly after the replacement pins are installed.
When repairing damaged shear pins, always use original equipment replacement parts. Never use a normal bolt since this might result in harm or damage to the snow blower.
How can I prevent shear pins from breaking?
To prevent breaking shear pins when clearing snow, do a check of the area for big foreign objects and remove them out of your way before starting your snow blower. Always have a couple of backup shear pins available in case one breaks. This will help reduce the downtime on your snow blower to a minimum.
Where can I get shear pin replacements?
While breaking a shear pin is inconvenient, it is far simpler to repair than an entire auger gearbox. Don’t fret if you need to replace one; you’ve simply averted a more expensive repair.
To make your shopping easy, we’ve compiled the best choice of shear pins on Amazon. You can simply click on the ones you’d like to buy. Here are our recommendations.
NEWREACH 22 pcs Shear Pins + 22 pcs Cotters Pins for Snowblower
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Genuine OEM Ariens
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Cub Cadet 738-04124A and 714-04040 (PK20)
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Shear Pins and Cotter Pins Fit for MTD Snowblower
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
How To Replace a Shear Pin
- Replacing a shear pin is simple and takes just a few seconds.
- Never insert your hands into the auger housing until the snowblower engine has been turned off safely. Locate the bolts by observing their intersections with the auger shaft.
- To release the bolt, use wrenches. Ascertain that they are the correct size for the shear pin. Hold the nut in place on one side while turning the bolt counter-clockwise with another wrench until it is loose enough to turn with your fingers.
- Eliminate the bolt. If the shear pin is entirely damaged, just remove it from both sides of the auger and replace it with a new one.
- Replace the shear bolt. Assemble the holes and tighten the nut.
- There are three standard shear bolt sizes, and it’s critical to select the correct one for your snowblower to ensure proper fit and operation.
- Brass 1/4″ shear bolts are often seen on entry-level snowblowers.
- 5/16″ black shear bolts are recommended for bigger mid-grade snowblowers.
- The most durable shear bolts are silver 5/16″ and are used on professional-grade snowblowers.
- It’s a prudent investment to have a few spare shear bolts on available in case anything goes wrong during snow blowing, particularly during a snowfall. Bear in mind that the reason you have a snowblower is to avoid shoveling.
- Not only will shear bolts save you a potentially risky trip to the hardware shop, but they’ll be replaced in a matter of seconds and you’ll be back to blowing in minutes.
Sum Up
All in all,
The pin could be as basic as a metal rod put into a channel bored through two moving parts, which locks them in place as long as the pin is intact.
It can also be a plain metal rod placed through a hub and axle; the rod’s diameter, alloy, and tempering are all carefully selected to allow the pin to shear only when the predetermined threshold force is exceeded. A shock split pin (cotter pin in American use) can also be used as a shear pin.
Conclusion
How’s it?
We hope, with this article you get to know more about your snowblower.
If you have any questions about the snowblower, let us know in the comment box below.
We’d reach out to you as soon as possible!
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