# Broken Shear pin stuck in auger shaft



## kdrymer (Nov 2, 2020)

I have a new to me Ariens 926 Pro and I was attempting to remove one of the shear pins on the Auger shaft and the head of the pin broke off. I have now been attempting to push the remaining part of the pin out of the shaft and have been unsuccessful. I am able to spin the pin inside the shaft but it just will not push out, despite having hit it several times with a hammer and nail punch. The bottom end (threaded portion) of the pin is bent slightly but I can't see why that would prevent the other portion from pushing through. I don't understand what it's getting caught up on. What other options do you suggest to get this out? I thought about drilling it out but I don't have experience doing this. Any feedback is appreciated.


----------



## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

Have you ever had the augers off?


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I would center punch the broke shear pin, and starting with a very small drill, stepping up a couple in size ... it will come out easily ... 

Careful on the small bit, as they will snap easily if not drilled straight, and lube as you go ....


----------



## kdrymer (Nov 2, 2020)

oneacer said:


> I would center punch the broke shear pin, and starting with a very small drill, stepping up a couple in size ... it will come out easily ...
> 
> Careful on the small bit, as they will snap easily if not drilled straight, and lube as you go ....


So just drill all the way through with a smaller diameter (than the pin) bit then gradually increase to a bigger bit and drill again? It must have mushroomed inside the hole, I don't know what else would be preventing it from coming out.


----------



## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Bigger hammer

Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

if it is bent that could be causing it to stick in the hole. you could try sticking the one end in a drill and spinning it if to see if it will loosen it up any. also before trying to drill it out i would cut off what is sticking and try to press the shear pin through the other way.


----------



## kdrymer (Nov 2, 2020)

Shovel said:


> Bigger hammer
> 
> Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk


I've been pounding pretty hard on it to the point where I feel if I go harder I may damage something.


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

usually a liberal spraying with penetrating oil and then punch out works. do you have a picture?


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

You do not want to keep pounding on it ..... Even though the shaft is hardened, where the shear bolt goes through it's pre-drilled hole in the shaft is a week point .....

You could try some heat with Map gas and some weasel **** (pentrating oil).

I would still drill it out at this point ..... But whatever works .......


----------



## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Get a bigger punch and not a nail punch. The punch should be the size of the hole. You'll get more force, you are spreading out the force, and there will be less mushrooming. Next, put synthetic oil in the hole.


----------



## kdrymer (Nov 2, 2020)

Any tips for keeping the drill centered in the hole as I drill?


----------



## jerryvvv (Apr 23, 2020)

do you have a c-clamp?

use a c-clamp and put a socket from a ratchet set over one side to provide clearance,

normally i just clamp vice grips on them really tight and give-er hell


----------



## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

kdrymer said:


> I've been pounding pretty hard on it to the point where I feel if I go harder I may damage something.


Can you hold the other end with needle nose vice grips and spin the nut off... then tap it out the other way?




Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk


----------



## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Shovel said:


> Bigger hammer


Yes! I use one of these; it's all about momentum and a garden variety claw or ball peen hammer just doesn't cut it... Big hammer and light-ish tap on 3/16" machine punch for the win. Make certain you're REALLY lined up on the inner/outer shaft holes. It can be deceptive. Just because the nut end may be there in one side of the outer shaft DOES NOT mean that the holes are lined up. The metal smears when it shears sometimes.


----------



## db130 (Feb 16, 2013)

Do you have a handheld MAPP gas torch?

I just had to deal with a VERY stubborn shear pin remnant and I am not exaggerating when I say it took about 100 hits with a punch + 4 lb sledgehammer. It only started to move incrementally after I heated up the area with my torch.

You want to heat around the remnant so that the metal expands (you don't want to heat up the shear pin itself).

Ironically,


----------



## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

I've dealt with a few of these before. I cut a couple of blocks slightly longer that than distance of the auger shaft to the floor. I used some brake cleaner spray to clean up the sheer pin hole to see it cleaned so the inner and outer shaft holes lined up. soak the heck out of the hole with a good penetrating oil. slip the blocks under the auger shaft to support it, insure the holes are lined up then use a hammer and punch to push the broken off shaft stub out. Had a couple of really bad ones and had to take the augers off the shaft to get a better angle on the stubs. Once the old ones are out, on reassembly I used anti-seize on the new ones to reduce the chances of it sticking in the future.


----------



## kdrymer (Nov 2, 2020)

Thank you everyone for the help! I will likely tackle it in the next couple days and let you know how it went.


----------



## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

There's lots of great advice here but I'll emphasize how important it is to start with a good penetrating oil and let it soak in at least 24 hours. In fact, add more oil every day for 2 or 3 days if possible. Liquid Wrench is my favorite product found in stores but a 50/50 mixture of acetone and automatic transmission fluid is an equally effective home brew.

If the penetrating oil is not making a difference, use a MAAP torch. Drilling it out would be the very last resort if nothing suggested above makes a difference. As many others stated, use a heavier hammer and a good punch (not a nail punch and an ordinary hammer).



crazzywolfie said:


> also before trying to drill it out i would cut off what is sticking and try to press the shear pin through the other way.


Crazzywolfie's suggestion is excellent and something I'll certainly try the next time this happens to me.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

rod330 said:


> Crazzywolfie's suggestion is excellent and something I'll certainly try the next time this happens to me.


well he said it was spinning in the hole so it is not like it is seized. i would mainly be wonder if there was a slight taper on the 1 end that is preventing it from coming through. also if your going to drill minus well drill through as little material as possible and grinding the end off the bolt will sometimes put enough heat in things to break the rust free from the auger shaft and make it come out easier.


----------



## kdrymer (Nov 2, 2020)

I think it mushroomed inside the hole which was exacerbated by using the small nail punch on it. I will see if I can find a bigger punch on it first before drilling it out. I don't think it's seized as it spins inside the hole and I can move the pin up and down slightly.


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

kdrymer said:


> Thank you everyone for the help! I will likely tackle it in the next couple days and let you know how it went.


you better


----------



## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

crazzywolfie said:


> well he said it was spinning in the hole so it is not like it is seized.


Yeah, I missed that part in the original post


----------



## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

A lot of shear pins/bolts don't snap clean off, they distort, twist and all kinds of other ways of being mis-shaped when they break.
Many times they aren't lined up clean and square with the hole when you try to drive them out.
Use a good punch the diameter of the hole and a larger heavier hammer to punch them out.
Many times there is a small "Lip" on them that gets caught on the auger tube, and the pin is bent/warped/twisted in the axle hole, so they will be stuck in there.
Wear a pair of gloves when working on removing them, there is a good chance of either hitting your hand with the hammer, and also cutting yourself while working down there, some auger teeth can be sharp.


----------



## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Can you get needle nose vice grips on the pin above the nut? 

Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk


----------



## groomerz (Feb 7, 2015)

Is the auger seized to the shaft with the holes slightly out of alignment. Picture?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## kdrymer (Nov 2, 2020)

Shovel said:


> Can you get needle nose vice grips on the pin above the nut?
> 
> Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk


The nut has been removed, through bottom end of the pin (threaded portion) is what is exposed.


----------



## kdrymer (Nov 2, 2020)

groomerz said:


> Is the auger seized to the shaft with the holes slightly out of alignment. Picture?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The auger is still engaged with the shaft as it spins when I engage the auger with the motor running.


----------



## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

kdrymer said:


> The nut has been removed, through bottom end of the pin (threaded portion) is what is exposed.


Try tapping it out that way..you can even put the nut on a little to stop from mushrooming that end.. then take off the nut and finish driving it through...if nothing else the other end will come out enough so you can see what's going on.
What I think is going on..I think the pin is bent and the recessed portion of the pin is catching ...You mentioned you can spin it..so it's not seized 



Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk


----------



## kdrymer (Nov 2, 2020)

Shovel said:


> Try tapping it out that way..you can even put the nut on a little to stop from mushrooming that end.. then take off the nut and finish driving it through...if nothing else the other end will come out enough so you can see what's going on.
> What I think is going on..I think the pin is bent and the recessed portion of the pin is catching ...You mentioned you can spin it..so it's not seized
> 
> 
> ...


I'm hoping with any luck to get a bigger punch and give it some love taps! The threaded bottom portion that is exposed appears to be slightly bent. I guess this is what you have to contend with when buying used equipment.


----------



## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

kdrymer said:


> I'm hoping with any luck to get a bigger punch and give it some love taps! The threaded bottom portion that is exposed appears to be slightly bent. I guess this is what you have to contend with when buying used equipment.


Sounds like the pin started to shear but didn't finish.... Worse comes to worse.. just use it .. as it will turn the auger... worse that can happen is it finishes shearing some day.



Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk


----------



## groomerz (Feb 7, 2015)

See the notch in the shear pin
I suspect you auger is rusted onto the auger shaft and it is turned a bit keeping pin from removing. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

kdrymer said:


> The threaded bottom portion that is exposed appears to be slightly bent.


I suspect that you may have the situation shown in the diagram below. I had this happen with a Troy-Bilt blower that I purchased for my son. The shear pin was obviously fully sheared on one side, but only partially sheared on the other side. I had to complete the shearing process before I could align the holes to drive out the pin remnant.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i doubt that is what happened or it would be very noticeable when he spins what is left of the bolt that is sticking out of the hole


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

33 posts on removing a shear bolt .... that has to be a first ...


----------



## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

oneacer said:


> 33 posts on removing a shear bolt .... that has to be a first ...


Lol, I'm glad one of my machines is a Toro.


----------



## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

OK guys enough is enough, let it sit and sleep till the op has time to play some more.


----------



## kdrymer (Nov 2, 2020)

Hey guys, well here is the carnage! Sprayed the pin and let soak in fluid film for about a day then got myself a 5/16" punch and it came out pretty easily! Not sure is this is actually a shear pin as I don't see grooves cut in it. Looks like it started to shear in the middle but didn't completely. Thanks again for all the feedback!


----------



## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

Persistence pays off!
That looks like a shear pin to me.


----------



## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

crazzywolfie said:


> i doubt that is what happened or it would be very noticeable when he spins what is left of the bolt that is sticking out of the hole


Shoulda bet you a Molson! 🍺


----------



## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

what ever one likes w jack d on the side


----------



## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Harbor Freight has a very nice and cheap punch set.


----------

