Snapping snowblower sheer Pins

After that however I am suspicious about a burr or some other issue in the shaft and coupling that the pin goes through. The pin is supposed to be the weakest link in the chain and sacrifice itself before the driveline gets all torn up. That means that the pin is made from a softer alloy that "shears" easier than the rest. If pins are being eaten up suddenly there must be something that is accelerating the coupling"s ability to slice the pin in two.

Pull the shaft/coupling apart and inspect the holes for burrs and/or elongation. If one of the holes is elongated it will cause the joint to rock back and forth and that will accelerate the shear. A new pin should fit closely in each of the holes. If it"s wobbly that part would be a candidate for rework/replacement. Worn shaft to coupling interface would allow too much slop also. I would look at that too. A burr in the hole will scar the pin as it passes through and it should be visible. I would not continue with the nails. They can make matters worse and defeat the safety intent of the pin and tear up the drive. I live in Michigan and can relate to how badly you need this running right now.

Best of luck

Does your auger require lubrication (grease zerks) on the shaft ends/bearings/caps? Could be a burr or dry bearing surface working against you. Snapped a sheer pin, replacing with a bad supply/source? May want to try another supplier source, I would - what's the harm? Auger didn't hit something and is knocked out of balance? How's it rotating as you look at it? Look balanced, or does it vibrate and shimmy? Lot of snow? Not more heavy snow than is rated for, is it? Just a few possibilities.

Make sure is lubricated if can, try a different supplier (batch) of pins, try operating at in a lower gear if is self propelled, and higher RPM.

Sorry about the bad ticker, but is more of a reason to make that thing works for you. My brother's snow blower broke one, then began breaking (eating) the replacements like kids go through candy, for no apparent reason that either of us could see. He's convinced is getting bad supply and just quit using sheer pins altogether, and is extra careful not to chomp into things shouldn't - I wouldn't advise that, but works for him.

Good luck, Mark.