Uftah! I need ideas how to drive out sheared auger pins ;-)

[CalG]

A small Kubota branded front blower with a central gearbox.
Early season blowing, there are always rocks! ;-(

Finding the darn left over center after the bolt head and nut have been ejected post shear failure just gets my goat.

It seems the replacement need is always at night, while it's snowing, under the yard light at the roof peak of the shop, and with 3/4 of the blowing yet to do.
Even with a hand held flash light, It's hard to see into the auger shaft fitting to even FIND the broken section. Grease, snow, and poor lighting.

Then, even as I think I've lined everything up in readiness of a punch and hammer blow, the auger turns it's self ever so slightly and all is lost. It's hard to manipulate the auger, hold a flashlight, get everything lined up, then put down the flash light, pick up the punch and hammer, and strike a useful blow.
This auger even has about 3/4 inch of "shuck" left to right that needs to be aligned, as well as the rotation alignment.

Maybe I should stop greasing the fitting ;-)

 

[camshawn]

I haven’t seen your snowblower so just a guess, can you use a paint pen to mark the shaft and “coupling “ so that you can line up the marks and at least be close? I did that with the shear bolt on the PTO shaft for my rotary mower.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Use a headlamp instead of a flashlight to free up one hand?

 

[CalG]

I haven’t seen your snowblower so just a guess, can you use a paint pen to mark the shaft and “coupling “ so that you can line up the marks and at least be close? I did that with the shear bolt on the PTO shaft for my rotary mower.

close is never good enough......
\horse shoes and hand granades...

 

[CalG]

Use a headlamp instead of a flashlight to free up one hand?

half the solution.. but a start!

 

[pmsmechanic]

I haven’t seen your snowblower so just a guess, can you use a paint pen to mark the shaft and “coupling “ so that you can line up the marks and at least be close? I did that with the shear bolt on the PTO shaft for my rotary mower.

This and then paint right around the shaft so that you have a good idea where the hole for the sheer pin is.

 

[Rustyiron]

Dem rocks just appear around here don't they Cal!
It's as if nature takes inventory and re stocks your driveway and lawns as you clean them up!
Have you tried a loose fitting punch or drift for the primary alignment? If you can work horizontally and have the space driving out this punch with the new shear bolt....
It's a miserable job in miserable conditions for sure.

 

[CalG]

Dem rocks just appear around here don't they Cal!
It's as if nature takes inventory and re stocks your driveway and lawns as you clean them up!
Have you tried a loose fitting punch or drift for the primary alignment? If you can work horizontally and have the space driving out this punch with the new shear bolt....
It's a miserable job in miserable conditions for sure.

What I'm considering doing is drilling a second hole through the auger sleeve and shaft JUST to push an alignment pin through. during normal operation, this hole would remain empty.

 

[pmsmechanic]

What I'm considering doing is drilling a second hole through the auger sleeve and shaft JUST to push an alignment pin through. during normal operation, this hole would remain empty.

It's a good idea but I don't know if I would go all the way through. Another hole weakens the shaft and if it breaks then you have more serious problems. A short hole through the yoke and part ways into the shaft would do what you want without weakening the shaft as much.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Could you weld a small tab to the inner shaft aligned with the hole and at the appropriate distance to remove the "shuck" or axial play? Many flashlights have clamps (or you could fabricate a clamp) that would allow mounting on the auger shroud, although Murphy says it will always cast a shadow where you want to see. On the subject of clamps, a couple of spring clamps on a short bar and clamped to the shroud and the auger flighting might allow you to securely position the augur.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Along with other suggestions, try beveling the tip of the replacement bolt on a grinder. Then put it in the hole and press while rotating the auger. Youll probably be able to feel the shear line up vicinity. Tap the bolt while adjusting in that area. If it moves youve got it.

 

[GrandpaSmurf825]

Get a magnetic rechargeable led light you can stick to the housing above where you need the light. Many are adjustable so you can aim them exactly where they are needed. So you are in better shape for next time (there will always be a next time) because it isn't much help now. Once you succeed in getting the sheared piece out and the new bolt in. Mark the shaft and the hub clearly on both sides either with a paint pen or something that will be relatively easy to see with a flashlight or whatever you use next time. Of course with good light the sheared bolt will be shiny when you look in the hole if you are able to. That depends upon how much room there is.
If I followed the idea that someone put forth to put a second hole for alignment. If you put it further out away from the actual shear pin hole and only go maybe 3/8" deep it won't weaken the shaft and it will give you a positive alignment method that could save you much aggravation. Whomever suggested it had a good idea. As long as there is room to stay clear of the shear bolt hole it would have no impact on the function or strength of the shaft.

 

[CalG]

Get a magnetic rechargeable led light you can stick to the housing above where you need the light. Many are adjustable so you can aim them exactly where they are needed. So you are in better shape for next time (there will always be a next time) because it isn't much help now. Once you succeed in getting the sheared piece out and the new bolt in. Mark the shaft and the hub clearly on both sides either with a paint pen or something that will be relatively easy to see with a flashlight or whatever you use next time. Of course with good light the sheared bolt will be shiny when you look in the hole if you are able to. That depends upon how much room there is.
If I followed the idea that someone put forth to put a second hole for alignment. If you put it further out away from the actual shear pin hole and only go maybe 3/8" deep it won't weaken the shaft and it will give you a positive alignment method that could save you much aggravation. Whomever suggested it had a good idea. As long as there is room to stay clear of the shear bolt hole it would have no impact on the function or strength of the shaft.

If I recall correctly, the idea of the second hole was offerd by the Original Poster. ;-)

 

[DGF]

A small Kubota branded front blower with a central gearbox.
Early season blowing, there are always rocks! ;-(

Finding the darn left over center after the bolt head and nut have been ejected post shear failure just gets my goat.

It seems the replacement need is always at night, while it's snowing, under the yard light at the roof peak of the shop, and with 3/4 of the blowing yet to do.
Even with a hand held flash light, It's hard to see into the auger shaft fitting to even FIND the broken section. Grease, snow, and poor lighting.

Then, even as I think I've lined everything up in readiness of a punch and hammer blow, the auger turns it's self ever so slightly and all is lost. It's hard to manipulate the auger, hold a flashlight, get everything lined up, then put down the flash light, pick up the punch and hammer, and strike a useful blow.
This auger even has about 3/4 inch of "shuck" left to right that needs to be aligned, as well as the rotation alignment.

Maybe I should stop greasing the fitting ;-)

Hi,

I have had to do this exact thing several times.. Here is a tip.. Take a pointed punch and make registraition marks in the auger shaft and the auger tubes. They can be on either the inside near the gear box or the outside near the bearing. Clean the metal and using a bright red paint pen you can highlight the registraition mark so you can easily find the red dots. When these marks are alingned you will know that the auger tube and the shaft are in the exact right position. Then, just take a flat punch and knock the slug out. These slugs can be hard to see because the metal will sometimes smear when the pin shears but this method lines them up every time. Prior a pin change was at times agonizoning but now it takes maybe 10 minutes. i have also found that factory type shear pins fatigue over time and break for alomst no reason so I've switched to a standard bolt which is a little stiffer. Years of service and no problems with these shearing when there is ice or something. I've also started adding a dab of never-seize on the replacements which makes knocking the slug out of the shaft easier because as you said they always break at the worst time. A key operational tip for these blowers - Always engauge the augers with the engine RPM at idle and then rev it up to speed and typically the blower will work quite well at PTO speeds lower than full rating. Keeping the RPMs down to what you need takes some of the strain off the augers. From there its just a matter of making slow steady passes.

 

[nyone]

half the solution.. but a start!

I mean If you cant see you have no chance of driving any pin out.

 

[07wingnut]

I think most of these kubota snowblowers with dual augers, one on each side, have shear bolt holes that are aligned. So if you want to locate the auger over the sheared pin, line it up with the auger on the other side. Just make sure the other auger is also not sheared. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[not2old]

All of my experience with shear pins is with a post hole digger. Hard to avoid rocks as I live on 50 feet of gravel. Still better than using a shovel.

 

[civilian]

CalG, do you have the X2750D front snowblower? That is what I have on my BX2230 tractor. Yes the auger shear bolts are a pain to find when sheared. Like someone said, I line up the sheared auger with the other non sheared auger. Then I just slide auger tube sideways on the hidden shaft to find the sheared bolt. Doing this with a tapered drift pin then smack it out while not turning the shaft or augers. Then slip in the new shear bolt. Not near my blower setup as I type, but I can't see any way to mark the auger shaft and the auger tubes. The fan shaft is easier to line up because on my blower there is a second hole through both pieces for alignment. Jon