# Honda HSS928 and Shear Pins? Are they are problem?



## deepsix80 (Feb 13, 2020)

I have had a Cub Cadet 3X 30” for 3 Wisconsin seasons now. The first season we had very little snow. The second season we had our normal “lots of snow” and my blower impellers kept stopping on me and I would have to clear them out in order to get started again. Towards the end of that season I called my dealer and talked to the service guy and told him what was happening and he said that the blades should not be just stopping and that the shear pins should shear first. He told me how to adjust a setting on the handle lever so that the impellers would not stop. It was just a slight adjustment. I didn’t have another snowfall to test the setting.
Now this third season, I am going through shear pins like they are candy. This last snowfall, two pins and the previous one 3 pins in one session. Admittedly, these have been heavy wet snow but I’m in Wisconsin. We have heavy wet snow a lot. 



I’m in my 70’s. I need a blower that doesn’t need to be “fixed” every time I blow the snow/slush out of my driveway. It is just a pain. I’m not hitting anything either. No trees, no frozen newspapers, no rocks. Just heavy snow. I want to have something that my less mechanically inclined son or grandson can handle without trying to figure out how to replace a shear pin. 



20 years ago, I had a Honda that I loved and I never knew what a shear pin was. Before that I had a piece of crap blower that I can’t remember the name and it never broke a shear pin either. I sold the Honda when we moved to a Condo. Got the new Cub when we moved to a house again and it was top rated by Consumer Reports. Ya. I know that I should have never listened to CR. They did their tests with sawdust. Should have been frozen sawdust. Idiots.


I am very close to getting a Honda HSS928 wheeled blower but I have to wonder, after spending a lot more money than I paid for the Cub, if I might just be getting another shear pin eating machine. This is probably the last blower I will be buying and my son will end up with it eventually. It has to be good for the very high price of this machine.


Any advice on the HSS928 or another snow blower that does not eat shear pins?
Thanks,
Ed


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## kimber (Dec 19, 2019)

Hi Ed, Welcome to the forum, there lots of post on here regarding Honda's, just click on those treads. I like you have never once broke a shear pin, even on my old 826 Yardman, I bought an Ariens rapidtrak pro hydro 28 this year and the thing's a beast, it throws everything and far! It wasn't cheap but I wanted something that would do it all right out of the box and it does! There are other great machines on the market also, read the forums here, it's the BEST place for honest reviews and will help you enormously with your search, it definatley helped my decesion on my purchase.
Best of luck!
Ed


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

deepsix80 said:


> I have had a Cub Cadet 3X 30” for 3 Wisconsin seasons now. The first season we had very little snow. The second season we had our normal “lots of snow” and my blower impellers kept stopping on me and I would have to clear them out in order to get started again. Towards the end of that season I called my dealer and talked to the service guy and told him what was happening and he said that the blades should not be just stopping and that the shear pins should shear first. He told me how to adjust a setting on the handle lever so that the impellers would not stop. It was just a slight adjustment. I didn’t have another snowfall to test the setting.
> Now this third season, I am going through shear pins like they are candy. This last snowfall, two pins and the previous one 3 pins in one session. Admittedly, these have been heavy wet snow but I’m in Wisconsin. We have heavy wet snow a lot.
> 
> 
> ...


the blades could be stopping for other reasons? a bearing going bad or perhaps the auger belt needing adjustment? not sure. 

on older Honda's I have seen shears being broke frequently because the pins were not tight and all the banging around caused the holes to elongate . I would weld up the holes and drill new ones and so ended that problem.

All i own are Honda's and very rarely blow a pin. only when I have tried to chew up a big chunk of ice, wood , etc when they are doing their job and are supposed to break.


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## minnesnowta2 (Feb 4, 2020)

I have a new HSS724 and I've been breaking shear pins without hitting anything nearly every time I use the blower. Its really annoying. I wonder if it has to do with how much the bolts are tightened. Anyone have any guidelines on how to install a new shear bolt.


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## deepsix80 (Feb 13, 2020)

That is not encouraging. I do not want to get a blower that the same problem for $1,000 more than I paid for the Cub Cadet.
Thanks for your reply.


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## deepsix80 (Feb 13, 2020)

I don't think there is anything wrong with the Cub Cadet other than the manufacturer probably had it setup from the factory to not have it deliver full power to the blades so that most people will just have the blades stop and not complain about shear pins. When I made the adjustment to keep the blades turning, that is when the pins started shearing. My neighbors are all just not having problems. I even had a neighbor come over, when he saw I was having a tough time and he did my walk for me. Corner lot.


When I look on Amazon, there are a lot of people complaining about Cub Cadet and shear pins.
Thanks for your reply.
Ed


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## SkunkyLawnmowers (Oct 18, 2018)

deepsix80 said:


> That is not encouraging. I do not want to get a blower that the same problem for $1,000 more than I paid for the Cub Cadet.
> Thanks for your reply.


I'd like to offer a balance to the other poster's comment about their HSS724. 

I've used my 2017 HSS724 in varying snow conditions and have never broken a single shear bolt. 

I've also had a 2016 Cub Cadet and compared to my Honda, the build quality is nowhere near as good. I thoroughly and whole heartedley recommend Honda to you and I get that you don't want to go from one problem to another - that's where I was and why I bought a Honda. 

Also consider a 1 stage Honda - they are awesome little machines and $1800 cheaper than a 928

If most of your snow is under a foot, that's what I recommend you get. If I knew then what I know now I would have got a 1 stage Honda (but don't tell Parker that )


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## 2muchsnow (Oct 22, 2019)

Are you snowblowing gravel or a paved driveway?

I can't really give you too much advice on the new HSS series, but I have a HS series and rarely break shear pins, unless they should break (hit a rock, fallen tree branch, etc). That being said if you like wheeled models, and don't want to worry about shear pins, take a look at a high end Toro. As far as I know, they do not use shear pins, but rather use a commercial grade gearbox and claim that the engine would stall prior to doing any damage.


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## deepsix80 (Feb 13, 2020)

SkunkyLawnmowers said:


> I'd like to offer a balance to the other poster's comment about their HSS724.
> 
> I've used my 2017 HSS724 in varying snow conditions and have never broken a single shear bolt.
> 
> ...



Thanks. Good to hear something positive. I just got done with a foot of snow and, fortunately, it was not heavy snow. Cub was fine. I would keep it if I didn't have the shear pin problems. I loved the Honda I had years ago.
I just don't understand why Honda is so far behind other brands in regards to what has come to be standard such as heated hand grips and electric start. 

Thanks,
Ed


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## deepsix80 (Feb 13, 2020)

2muchsnow said:


> Are you snowblowing gravel or a paved driveway?
> 
> I can't really give you too much advice on the new HSS series, but I have a HS series and rarely break shear pins, unless they should break (hit a rock, fallen tree branch, etc). That being said if you like wheeled models, and don't want to worry about shear pins, take a look at a high end Toro. As far as I know, they do not use shear pins, but rather use a commercial grade gearbox and claim that the engine would stall prior to doing any damage.



I've looked into the Toro. I'm just concerned that they might be setting that "stop the engine" setting too low and I would be continually having the engine quit on me because it hit some heavy snow. And Toro would determine what was heavy snow. I can see it stopping or breaking a shear pin if you hit a stone or a branch but not just heavy snow.
Thanks,
Ed


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

deepsix80 said:


> Thanks. Good to hear something positive. I just got done with a foot of snow and, fortunately, it was not heavy snow. Cub was fine. I would keep it if I didn't have the shear pin problems. I loved the Honda I had years ago.
> I just don't understand why Honda is so far behind other brands in regards to what has come to be standard such as heated hand grips and electric start.
> 
> Thanks,
> Ed


I’ve broken shear bolts, but never for no reason. The auger has aggressive teeth. If they catch something just right, bolt will break...Which is exactly what it is designed to do. 

The electric chute controls, headlight, and battery charging are all through a very large stator under the flywheel. I wouldn’t be surprised if their simply isn’t enough available capacity for the electrical demand of heated grips. 

People have added heated grips to HSS machines and tied into the battery. Seems to work fine without issue, at worst keep the grip heater off and let the engine run to replenish the battery.

Personally, I’ve had machines with heated grips and they all get to hot and make my hands annoyingly sweaty. I’ve thought about adding a quality heated grip kit that has a very low setting but it’s a very low priority. 

What’s the matter with Honda’s electric start? On board battery, key ignition 12v starter. It’s pretty much the best thing ever...


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

I would rather replace a shear bolt than a flywheel keyway from the sudden stop of the engine caused by a jam or blockage, and augers are not cheap either, plus replacing one because of no shear bolt.
That is pretty far being "behind the times" building a snowblower without a safety item like a shear bolt.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

drmerdp said:


> I’ve broken shear bolts, but never for no reason. The auger has aggressive teeth. If they catch something just right, bolt will break...Which is exactly what it is designed to do.
> 
> The electric chute controls, headlight, and battery charging are all through a very large stator under the flywheel. I wouldn’t be surprised if their simply isn’t enough available capacity for the electrical demand of heated grips.
> 
> ...


Plus 1

I use quality mittens and have no issues with cold hands.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

One thing to check is the auger height to ground. If it is too low and hits the ground, that can break shear bolts.
You would have to raise it by lowering the scraper bar and skid shoes.
We have seen that problem many times, and it wears off the auger teeth if the auger has teeth. On a smooth auger it is harder to tell besides worn paint and fresh scrapes on the edges of it.
You would have to measure the height from the ground and make sure it is not too close to the ground where it would hit any un-evenness.
Scraper bar and skid shoe wear and being out of adjustment is common and can cause problems.
Different manufacturers call for different auger height to ground clearance so check your owner's manual for the proper clearance. You don't want that auger too low and close to the ground, it is designed to break up the snow and "Screw" it into the center impeller housing for discharge.


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## Miles (Sep 16, 2016)

I have a 2015 Honda HSS928 and have never broken a shear pin yet. Granted, I blow off the concrete driveway with a leaf blower the night before a big storm and pick up any big sticks. I bring in the mats outside as well.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

deepsix80 said:


> Any advice on the HSS928 or another snow blower that does not eat shear pins?


I had a Honda HS80 for over 30 years, and broke about a dozen shear bolts over that time period.

I now have an HSS1332ATD and have not broken an auger shear bolt in 3 years because the Auger Shear Bolt Guard System (only on the U.S. HSS1332ATD) shuts down the auger rotation and engine before they break. I have managed to eat 2 branches, 2 newspapers, 1 door mat and 1 sprinkler head during those 3 years, too.

Now, I HAVE broken the impeller shear bolt once. A piece of a branch oriented end-wise went right down the center, avoiding the augers, and hit the impeller. Only took about 5 minutes to replace the offset shear bolt, compared to a typical 1/2 hour on the HS80.


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## deepsix80 (Feb 13, 2020)

tabora said:


> I had a Honda HS80 for over 30 years, and broke about a dozen shear bolts over that time period.
> 
> I now have an HSS1332ATD and have not broken an auger shear bolt in 3 years because the Auger Shear Bolt Guard System (only on the U.S. HSS1332ATD) shuts down the auger rotation and engine before they break. I have managed to eat 2 branches, 2 newspapers, 1 door mat and 1 sprinkler head during those 3 years, too.
> 
> Now, I HAVE broken the impeller shear bolt once. A piece of a branch oriented end-wise went right down the center, avoiding the augers, and hit the impeller. Only took about 5 minutes to replace the offset shear bolt, compared to a typical 1/2 hour on the HS80.


 Thanks for your input. I am going with the Honda HSS928. It is expensive but so was the Honda that I got about 20 years ago. 

My wife is going to think/know that I am an idiot if I have the same problems with this Honda as with the Cub Cadet. My driveway is clean cement. New house. I have no trees and no stones. I do have a lot of shear pin pieces scattered over my yard but they are not on the driveway or sidewalk.
Thanks,
Ed


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## SkunkyLawnmowers (Oct 18, 2018)

deepsix80 said:


> ......... I am going with the Honda HSS928. It is expensive but so was the Honda that I got about 20 years ago.


Good for you, I think you'll be happy with your choice!! Please stay in touch and report back with a review of your new baby!!


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