# Seized shear pin



## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

I have an old Ariens in here and the shear bolt has sheared flush with the auger tube. Not sure how that happened but the auger is seized up pretty good on the shaft, I'm assuming, and the shear bolt is seized in there as well. I've gone at it with some penetrating oil and roll pin punch but this thing won't budge. Stays flush on both sides. I'm guessing it's a fixture at this point but thought I'd ask. Should I drill it out? If so....any tips? I know if I get it out I'm still going to have to deal with the auger on the shaft. But I'm hopeful. Maybe if I get the pin out I'll get lucky.

Thanks.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

lefty said:


> I have an old Ariens in here and the shear bolt has sheared flush with the auger tube.


I'm betting that the shear bolt has "smeared" at the shaft/tube interface or the bolt is just partially sheared as in the picture below. The holes are now out of alignment so you can't just drive the pin out. Option one is to complete the shearing process with everything in place by using a large lever in the auger spiral. Drilling the pin stub(s) would also do it. A better option may be disassembly so you can get it in a vise where you won't be putting any stress on the gearbox.


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

I'm leaning towards drilling. The pin is aligned with the one on the other side. And I can see grease spurt out both ends and around one end of the pin, which is flush with the auger tube. The other end is just proud of the tube. I'm guessing it's still aligned and hasn't smeared but my logic may be off.

I'm just confused as to how it all happened. If it sheared, I would expect to see a space. It almost looks like someone just ground it off. I'm also guessing that it if has smeared off line, I'll just drill a new hole? With all the grease I was able to get in there, I'm thinking I can break the auger loose from the shaft. But my logic may be off.


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## Fat City (Feb 11, 2017)

Drill with a low RPM drill, and a small cobalt bit . Drilling may loosen stub, if not, go to bigger bit. Eventually, stub will either spin, or align itself for an easy punching out. I agree, Hot Setup may be remove auger from bucket, replace ejector shaft bearing if worn .


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## ou2mame (Dec 23, 2019)

I've never had to drill an auger shear pin.. Use a punch to drive the shear pin out. Turn the shaft so that you can hit it from both sides. spray some penetrating oil. I like acetone/atf mix. As for the auger being frozen to the shaft, just heat the auger with a propane torch and you should be able to unfreeze the auger.


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

Me neither. But I've gone at this pretty aggressively with a punch and she ain't budging.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Couple things ....

If it was me, I would first take that auger assembly out of the bucket so you can properly work on it.

If indeed you are looking at the broken shear pin, and it doesn't tap out, it should drill out easy enough, .... but that shaft is hardened steel, and drilling a new hole in it is going to be very difficult.

If an auger is indeed rust welded on its shaft, you are most likely in for a long ordeal. It requires repeating a process of a good penetrating oil, heat from a torch setup or Map gas canister, tapping it lightly with a hammer or air hammer, and affixing a puller with constant pressure on it, and an air gun on the puller will help. Repeating ........

Once you break it free of its shaft, you will have to remove it to clean the inside of the auger, as well as its shaft, and apply some Never-Seize prior to re-installing.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

oneacer said:


> Couple things ....
> 
> If it was me, I would first take that auger assembly out of the bucket so you can properly work on it.
> 
> ...


agree 10,000%. gotta doit right. fortunately on a Honda , removing the augers is about 5 minutes. Have had a couple very difficult impeller pins stuck du to them bending before breaking. I understand the difficulty where punching may not work at first.
I usually let soak quite a while with Liquid Wrench penetrating oil and then try punching out from both directions. have to be careful about "pancaking" one end though.

it will come eventually. may as well take careof that frozen auger as well. rust/corrosion needs cleaning up. those shear pins are cheap insurance for expensive components. if auger is frozen , defeats the whole purpose. just asking for trouble down the road.


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

One side is flush with the auger. The other is protruding slightly but the head/bolt is gone off of it. I'm working the flush side since it gives me the most structure when hitting it.

I just hope it's not spreading into the tiny space between the auger and shaft. it's pretty tight in there so I'd be surprised. It may just be a matter of growing a set and hitting it with the right amount of force. I'm always hesitant.


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## Rooskie (Feb 12, 2015)

lefty said:


> One side is flush with the auger. The other is protruding slightly but the head/bolt is gone off of it. I'm working the flush side since it gives me the most structure when hitting it.
> 
> I just hope it's not spreading into the tiny space between the auger and shaft. it's pretty tight in there so I'd be surprised. It may just be a matter of growing a set and hitting it with the right amount of force. I'm always hesitant.


I agree with removing the augur from the housing. You are running a shock through every part of the assembly. As is, each hammer blow is being borne directly by the ends of the shaft at the ends of the bucket.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

When removing a frozen shear pin, you must use a punch with its head the same size of the shear pin as you want maximum force being applied evenly.


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

I have the right size but I'm thinking that, like Rooskie said, a lot of my force is being absorbed by the other assembled parts and the clearance between them. I'll get it out and into a vice and will likely have better luck. I'll keep you posted. Thanks.


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## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

With the auger rake on the shaft Heat won't help. You will get it with the punch and penetrating oil. Be patient. If you want to drill it just be careful not to cut in to the shaft. if you remove some of the pin it will punch out much easier. The shear bolt is a soft steel so it should drill pretty easy.

I agree with those who say free up the rakes from the auger shaft at the same time. Let it soak over night in a vertical postion so the penetrating oil has gravity help it . Free All or Seafoam Deep Creap penetrating oil have worked the best for me on very frustrating auger rakes.
Good Luck


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## Rooskie (Feb 12, 2015)

lefty said:


> I have the right size but I'm thinking that, like Rooskie said, a lot of my force is being absorbed by the other assembled parts and the clearance between them. I'll get it out and into a vice and will likely have better luck. I'll keep you posted. Thanks.





lefty said:


> I have the right size but I'm thinking that, like Rooskie said, a lot of my force is being absorbed by the other assembled parts and the clearance between them. I'll get it out and into a vice and will likely have better luck. I'll keep you posted. Thanks.


Here's another thread on the topic:








Can't punch out broken shear bolt


I've been blowing with an 1128 for 7 or 8 years on a gravel driveway. I haven't broken a bolt in years, but this year I'm breaking them left and right. I made the mistake of buying a couple shear bolts at Paris Farmers Union - the were grooved but seemed like just white metal. Of course it...




www.snowblowerforum.com


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

I'll check them out. Thanks.


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## JJinQC (Jan 18, 2021)

lefty said:


> I have an old Ariens in here and the shear bolt has sheared flush with the auger tube. Not sure how that happened but the auger is seized up pretty good on the shaft, I'm assuming, and the shear bolt is seized in there as well. I've gone at it with some penetrating oil and roll pin punch but this thing won't budge. Stays flush on both sides. I'm guessing it's a fixture at this point but thought I'd ask. Should I drill it out? If so....any tips? I know if I get it out I'm still going to have to deal with the auger on the shaft. But I'm hopeful. Maybe if I get the pin out I'll get lucky.
> 
> Thanks.


Nothing can shear beyond the auger tube diameter. Mysterious to say the least.

If you cannot drive the bolt through the drive shaft, it might be because the bolt is partly sheared at the drive shaft. That would explain why the auger looks frozen and the bolt cannot be punched out (because the bolt has not sheared completely),

I would try to drill the bolt (not completely through) but up to the outside diameter of the drive shaft from both sides to avoid damaging the drive shaft. Sarting with a small drill size as centered as possible and moving to a larger drill. Do not drill larger than the size of the hole (Once there is little metal left it will be easy to shear the bolt completely).

You will be left with only the bolt portion in the drive shaft remaining. That should free-up the auger that can be removed. Then drive the bolt out of the shaft with a punch.

The secret for using punches successfuly:
Make sure you have a solid heavy backup support for the tube.
You have a clean and flat surface at the bolt for the punch to strike.
Strike the punch with one solid blow.

Anxious to see your progress.

Good luck!


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## firedudetl1 (Jan 26, 2016)

think I'd take the broken off shear pin, clean it up to fit against the stuck pin, use a c-clamp or maybe a bar clamp and a wood block with a hole in it to force the broken pin against the stuck pin. put some pressure on it, leave it and tighten up again the next day. maybe take a piece of 2x or 4x stock, drill a hole equal to the shaft diameter, cut the "hole" in half, and then a hole equal to the shear pin size in each half to align the pins and then set it up as a press
another thought is to use the wood block set up as a guide to drill out the stuck pin
just a few thoughts - good luck


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

JJinQC said:


> Nothing can shear beyond the auger tube diameter. Mysterious to say the least.


Right? I've been befuddled. But I think Tabora hit it...it sheared partially and someone cut the ends off in an attempt to liberate the pin. But they got frustrated and quit.
I think I have one of these shafts I kept from a machine I broke apart last year. I'm going to try to dig it out of my scrap pile and verify for certain the alignment. Once I'm confident about where I am, I can attack from there.


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

Well, I'm back from battle. What an epic tale it was but the pin is out. Based on the carnage, it looks like it was just frozen in there. I ended up having to sneak up on it the whole way with the drill until I finally ran a 5/16 through and the outer shell of the pin came out the bottom, groves and all...paper-thin. I'm sure I did it wrong but got lucky because it was all aligned. 

So now, I need to get the auger freed up. I'm able to pump grease into it and it oozes from everywhere...which is good. I'm trying to figure out how to leverage it as not to put any stress on the gearbox. The assemble is out of the housing. I'm thinking a couple of bars is the augers with the willingness to sacrifice the other pin? Maybe the vice? I'm hesitant to try and grip the shaft itself because I don't want to mar it up too badly. Any suggestions? I know heat is an option but all I have is map gas. I can't get it red hot. But the way the grease is moving through, I'm thinking if I can get enough leverage I can get it to move. If the other side is any indication, I should be able to as it was pretty freed up.

Thanks.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Map gas is hotter then propane, you should be fine ... That is what I use for heat.

Constant pressure and light taps, weasel ****, repeat, repeat .... I rigged up a puller in the end, and gave it small shock tightens with an air wrench gun.

Its a slow process, but you'll get it ... as you know, just don't start whaling on it, or you'll cause some gear case damage.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

IIRC I put an article on the forum a few years back on how I remove rusted on auger rakes. Most successful was using penetrating oil, a bunch of heat and a hydraulic press. It wasn't fast, averaged at least a week to get them loose without damaging the rakes miserably.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I have a detailed article as well, with photos.

As I mentioned, no real easy way, but going slow and steady will get it.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

i put mine in a vise and use a 2x4 after letting penetrating oil sit for a day or 2. it does take patience sometimes.

pictures?


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

A quick status on this...I disassembled everything and now that I'm in there, it looks like I'll be replacing the seals. I put a bunch of heat on the impeller and stuck rake and then blasted it in penetrating oil. I think I'm going to let my buddy's press take the glory though. I'll keep you posted. 

Wondering if I should do the gear while I'm in there. It's not in horrible shape but a new one is not too expensive. To be honest, not knowing the condition of the gearbox was one of the reasons I wasn't going crazy on this. But now that I'm in there, I think this may actually be a pretty good little machine when it's done. I've Seen housings in better condition but for what it is, I think it's worth it.

On a not so related subject, I've been looking for an excuse to pick up a press. The 20 ton harbor freight is pretty cheap when there's a coupon. My main obstacle has been space. But I've noticed that it may have come in handy a couple of times recently. If I were going to get one for small engine work, what would be the minimum capacity I should be looking at?

Thanks.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

i would if that close, old ant age better safe than sorry latter


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

lefty said:


> On a not so related subject, I've been looking for an excuse to pick up a press. The 20 ton harbor freight is pretty cheap when there's a coupon. My main obstacle has been space. But I've noticed that it may have come in handy a couple of times recently. If I were going to get one for small engine work, what would be the minimum capacity I should be looking at?


20 ton is usually plenty. Mine is only 10.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Do you know anyone with an air impact hammer gun? Put a flat blunt tip and knock it around.


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## WrenchIt (Dec 6, 2020)

Harbor frt hydraulics are iffy. Some are fine, some will leak after a bit. For occasional use, their press will be fine. I have one of their hyd floor jacks that leaks a bit, but i've had it for more than a few years. Rebuilding is not an option - tho I admit I am not sure if parts are available. I also have one of their smaller bottle jacks - it leaks and has been used no more than a dozen times. For the price, their press is a steal (compared to any other press out there), and even if you were to replace the jack, it's still a cheap press that will do the trick. If you can, get one size larger than your biggest job so you are not fully stressing the parts. Good Luck!


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

Thanks. Looks like all the stores near me are sold out. But I do have a pneumatic hammer gun. I didn't even consider it because I didn't think it would be adequate. But I'll certainly give it a try. The parts have been soaking in oil for a few days now.


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## WrenchIt (Dec 6, 2020)

lefty said:


> Thanks. Looks like all the stores near me are sold out. But I do have a pneumatic hammer gun. I didn't even consider it because I didn't think it would be adequate. But I'll certainly give it a try. The parts have been soaking in oil for a few days now.


Be careful when using that. There is a greater possibility of peening over the end of the pin than when you do it by hand. It's easy to stop and look after one blow by hand, but not with an penu hammer. If you have a mushroom head you can pound on the side of the auger shaft - the vibration might break the rust loose.


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## JJinQC (Jan 18, 2021)

I agree, there is more chance of peening the head than getting the job done.


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## oneboltshort (Dec 16, 2019)

They are suggesting the blunt tip air hammer all around the stuck rake/auger tube , not the pins or auger shaft ends. If you torque on the rake with a pipe wrench while vibrating the tube randomly along the length with the blunt air hammer it works quite well. You just need that first little movement/rotation.


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## WrenchIt (Dec 6, 2020)

Again I want to stress that mushroom head tool for the pneumatic hammer. My auto mechanic once showed me his - it looks like a valve salvaged from an old engine but it came from his air tool manufacturer. The only difference between a valve and this impact tool is the head is slightly convex - domed. If your blunt impact tool is too pointed, you will create dents or dimples in the auger tube and make your job worse. That's why I'm recommending this mushroom head bit. We will NOT discuss why I'm so adamant about this. 

P.S. Wear ear and eye protection when hammering away.


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## Rooskie (Feb 12, 2015)

Shaped like a roll pin punch?


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## cpchriste (Jan 19, 2014)

Like this? https://www.amazon.com/Hanperal-Smoothing-Pneumatic-Hammer-Chisel/dp/B06ZZRPJYQ


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Be careful hammering the auger with the rust welded shaft in it.... hammering to hard could deform the auger, that's why I recommended taps on it.


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

Got it. I just ordered a set. The only bit I had was pointy.


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

I ended up getting my hands on a press. Man was that easy. So excited to have this in my shop.

Question regarding the gearbox. I ended up disassembling it and am going to replace the seals. I'm lucky enough to have a good friend that works at an Ariens dealer and gives me parts at cost.

I noticed on the parts diagram that it uses a liquid gasket, specifically, Loctite 518. It looks like there was a gasket when I disassembled it. Should I be using a liquid gasket or is there a regular gasket for this? 

Thanks.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

How about asking your ariens friend ?


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

RIT333 said:


> How about asking your ariens friend ?


I assumed my posting here answered that question.


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

Back to this project. I ended up bending the impeller shaft trying to get it out. So I brought it to my mechanic and he cut it with the torch and pressed it out the other end. Fortunately, or unfortunately...however you want to look at it, I had the same spare shaft in my parts pile. 

The impeller tube took a beating though. It's got some gouges in it and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips on how to ream it out. The shaft goes in about 1/2 way and then starts to bind. I could try to pound it the rest of the way but something tells me that's not the way.

Thanks.


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