Up Front or At the End, You'll Pay

[Gene Blister]

“The man who picks up a cat by the tail will get ten times the information of the man who just reads about it.” –Mark Twain

So, the reason shear bolts have a notch, then that smooth, unthreaded section below the head is, after they’ve sheared off, you can get the broken section out of the connecting holes; they pretty much fall right out of my snowblower auger. Change out time: 30 seconds per bolt.

So, when you want to save a few bucks and use regular, fully threaded grade 5 bolts from the CoOp, you’ll spend many hours trying to find the almost invisible remaining section, which is smoothed off and fused into the holes by those very same threads. Then comes the pounding with a punch, the slipping, the bleeding…

So what’s next? Am I looking at drilling out the bolt butt to clear the hole? Alone. In the snow. But hey, I saved almost 15 cents per bolt!

 

[200mph]

Do you realize some snowblowers require standard grade 5 bolts withOUT any machining detail?

For those that require special bolts, I agree.

 

[Sodark]

Having recently spent the weekend trying to remove a busted bolt from an engine block, my advice to you is to drink until you lose memories from your childhood and go organize your garage.

 

[DustyRusty]

Having recently spent the weekend trying to remove a busted bolt from an engine block, my advice to you is to drink until you lose memories from your childhood and go organize your garage.

Removing broken bolt methods can generate more posts than buying a Kubota BX tractor! I have had the most luck using left handed twist drills and a lot of patience.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Gene,
No drilling should be required, you just need to get a really bright light and a good set of eyes, get the sheared bolt lined up with the hole and use a drift punch to drive out the stuck section.

In fact drilling it could cause you some serious damage to either the collar or the shaft.

If you can't get it, send me a PM and I'll come over and help ya out, I've had to deal with quite a few of those!

 

[dlsmith]

Then comes the pounding with a punch, the slipping, the bleeding***8230;

You forgot the cursing and throwing the tools...

 

[Gene Blister]

Gene,
No drilling should be required, you just need to get a really bright light and a good set of eyes, get the sheared bolt lined up with the hole and use a drift punch to drive out the stuck section.

In fact drilling it could cause you some serious damage to either the collar or the shaft.

If you can't get it, send me a PM and I'll come over and help ya out, I've had to deal with quite a few of those!

Thank you for the offer, Wolfman. I may just have to take you up on it. I'd like to meet over coffee, anyhow.

The primary problem is, as you said, lining up the hole in the auger with the bolt, then securing said free-wheeling auger so I can get a punch awailing away.

Today being a dry day and all the other responsibilities taken care of, Im going to bring the wife out in the cold, glove her up, get maybe vice grips or some other type of clamp to serve as a handle and have her keep things lined up while Im working the punch.
I brute force doesnt work Ill try, in order, Dusty Rustys suggestion, then Sodarks.

Dismith, the cursing and hurling of tools goes without saying.

Ill keep you posted.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Since all the shear pins I have are 1/4-20, I modified a punch to be just smaller in diameter than 1/4" , shank about 3" long with a 'shallow' centering point. Once I line up auger and shaft, put point intothe 'hole' and 2-3 hits ,the old pieces are out. Between the shallow point and good fit , the punch doesn't jump out,so you CAN whack it good especially the all important first hit.

 

[DustyRusty]

If you keep your augers well greased, no need for brute force, since the broken piece of the shear pin will be well lubricated and come out with a gentle tap. You can also paint it with never seize before installation.

 

[Gene Blister]

If you keep your augers well greased, no need for brute force, since the broken piece of the shear pin will be well lubricated and come out with a gentle tap. You can also paint it with never seize before installation.

Ok, the drama has played out with ultimate success.

Bright LED flashlight, check. PB Blaster spray lubricant to wash the impacted ice out of the hole, check. Womping punch and small hammer, check. Moving the PTO from mid- to rear-drive so I could rotate the shaft to a more workable position, check.

Three gentle womps and the emergent tip of the offending bolt showed me I was on target. Several more energetic womps and the problem flew out against the maw of the blower and was trashed with extreme prejudice.

Auger oiled and greased per the manual, all new bolts to be dosed with Permatex Anti Seize and Im blowing sweet and pretty as Bleeding Gums Murphy channeling John Coltrane.

Thanks everybody! Im gonna take Sodarks suggestion, now, and leave the past behind.

Until the next bonehead mistake!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Ok, the drama has played out with ultimate success.

Bright LED flashlight, check. PB Blaster spray lubricant to wash the impacted ice out of the hole, check. Womping punch and small hammer, check. Moving the PTO from mid- to rear-drive so I could rotate the shaft to a more workable position, check.

Three gentle womps and the emergent tip of the offending bolt showed me I was on target. Several more energetic womps and the problem flew out against the maw of the blower and was trashed with extreme prejudice.

Auger oiled and greased per the manual, all new bolts to be dosed with Permatex Anti Seize and Im blowing sweet and pretty as Bleeding Gums Murphy channeling John Coltrane.

Thanks everybody! Im gonna take Sodarks suggestion, now, and leave the past behind.

Until the next bonehead mistake!

Excellent! And just in time, big snow to hit tomorrow night!

 

[whitetiger]

Now that you have the shear bolts replaced, take a centerpunch or chisel and make a set of timing marks so next time you know when it is lined up.

 

[DustyRusty]

Now that you have the shear bolts replaced, take a centerpunch or chisel and make a set of timing marks so next time you know when it is lined up.

Please explain how you can accomplish this? The auger already has a hole where the pin goes in the auger, and there is no way that any markings will show up on the drive shaft, since it is inside the auger shaft.

 

[Cglaza]

Please explain how you can accomplish this? The auger already has a hole where the pin goes in the auger, and there is no way that any markings will show up on the drive shaft, since it is inside the auger shaft.

You would move the auger so that you see half the hole showing through and take a narrow chisel and make a mark above and below the inner shaft. May need to use a file to make sure the hole is still round but will help you find the broken piece easier next time.


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[whitetiger]

Please explain how you can accomplish this? The auger already has a hole where the pin goes in the auger, and there is no way that any markings will show up on the drive shaft, since it is inside the auger shaft.

I was thinking he was talking about the impeller shear bolt rather than an auger shear bolt. Auger holes can be lined back up by looking at the position of the shear bolt in the opposite auger.
The impeller bolt is the one that I always get to replace for customers after they maim themselves.

 

[Cglaza]

I was thinking he was talking about the impeller shear bolt rather than an auger shear bolt. Auger holes can be lined back up by looking at the position of the shear bolt in the opposite auger.

The impeller bolt is the one that I always get to replace for customers after they maim themselves.

Same principle only harder to do.

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[whitetiger]

Same principle only harder to do.

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I probably do a dozen or so a year. That is why I mark them as the owner has usually tried to remove the broken piece without the holes lined up.

 

[Cglaza]

I probably do a dozen or so a year. That is why I mark them as the owner has usually tried to remove the broken piece without the holes lined up.

I think marking them is a great idea. Definitely a time saver

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[GeoHorn]

First of all, I”m so smart I don’t have to own a snowblower so I don’t have to deal with this issue. (I live down Sou’f where we’uns let skool out when we’uns git a eench of snow...). But on my other equipment I’ve had success in simply driving the old pin out with the new bolt.... which is then in-place and only needs the nut. YMMV