# Honda hs80 snowblower eats shear pins



## Snowdrift (Dec 11, 2012)

I just got a Honda snowblower with anticipation of a superb piece of equipment only to be puzzled by it's propensity to break shear pins at an alarming rate! It broke over a dozen pins in two hours of working in moderate conditions. Because the ome pins are over six dollars apiece I used 1/4 inch grade five carriage bolts as an alternative. Nevertheless, this is unacceptable. I have used four different snowblower brands over the years and have never gone through so manyshear pins combined. Anyone have advice on how to address this issue? Thanks


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## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

Hi Snowdrift, welcome to the forum. Perfect screen name. 

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert in the strength of metals, but I can say as a Honda owner, having used my HS622 since it was new in 1999, and having used it in lots of different conditions, I have only broken one Honda brand shear pin. Maybe I've just been lucky, but to have broken carriage bolts as opposed to shear pins, might just be the problem.

I took a look at the owner's manual for the HS80, and here's what is says about shear bolts.

"When the auger or blower will not operate: 
Check the shear bolts and replace if broken off. 
Secure the shear bolts with 6 mm nuts. 
Three spare shear bolts are supplied with the snowblower."

Hopefully others will chime in with their experiences.


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## Snowdrift (Dec 11, 2012)

Thank you for your comment. I will try your suggestion.


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## [email protected] (Nov 21, 2011)

Checked with our tech guys, and the first thing they tell me is that's a LOT of pins to go through. When they see a unit that is running through pins like that, it's usually another problem, often, a out-of-square auger housing or other bent part(s).

You should confirm all parts of the auger housing and the augers are square an true. Any parts out of square could set-up a friction or vibration problems that would eat shear bolts.

[email protected]
Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding is my opinion alone.


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## Snowdrift (Dec 11, 2012)

*Ah-ha*

I discovered a dented blower housing that appears to have been cause by something VERY hard being chewed up once upon a time. Anagalous to a person bulging their cheek with their tongue. Furthermore the previous owner bored out the shear pin holes in an attempt to solve the problem, to no avail. Since I don,t have the skill to address this issue I decided to convert the power unit to a snow plow. Thank you folks for weighing in on this. Happy New Year!


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## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

Sorry to hear that about your Honda, but I'd like to see your conversion. Post up some pictures if you wouldn't mind.


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