Shear bolt caught under impeller, solved but...any easier solutions?

[rocinante]

I blew a shear pin yesterday on the impeller in my BX2750C snowblower, and when I finally got the snow out and the unit defrosted (heavy, wet snow!) I was unable to move the impeller, which is usually free by then. Turned out the shear pin got stuck at 6 o'clock right under the impeller blade. It proved to be intact though bent at the end.

I did - finally - get it out, though not easily. In the end my wife used a crowbar to lift, very slightly the impeller blade from one side, while I used another crowbar and a handheld sledge hammer to pound the pin out from under. No apparent damage, but it made me wonder if there's an easier way?

Also brought to mind two related questions: how tight do you make the nut holding the shear pin (I'm usually just over finger-tight) and secondly, how welll do you clean your blower down after use - especially in a heavy snow area?

 

[animals45]

I buy a box of regular 5/16 bolts at the hardware store the proper length & another box of the locking aircraft nuts . I have never in over 30 years lost a bolt due to the nut coming loose . As far as getting that bolt out thats just part of snowblowin , wait till ya get a broken one stuck behind the 2nd stage impeller . You'll pray to have one stuck like the one that needed 2 pry bars on .
animals45

 

[yorkies77]

What I learned is don’t tighten over 8 pounds. I was breaking shear bolts all the time till I learned that.

 

[Dustball]

Also brought to mind two related questions: how tight do you make the nut holding the shear pin (I'm usually just over finger-tight) and secondly, how welll do you clean your blower down after use - especially in a heavy snow area?

The nut you should be using should be a locknut of some kind. You don't want to tighten the nut tight against the auger/impeller- the bolt should be lightly snug in the hole.

 

[JimmyJazz]

Try using a N Y L O C nut. The capital letters and spaces between them was the only way "the system" permitted me to place this response. Good luck

 

[Russell King]

Nyloc nut
nyloc nut
N Y L O C nut

interesting I can get it to post all of the above

 

[DustyRusty]

Buy the correct shear pins from the Kubota dealer. The correct shear pins are grooved in exactly the right place to break off cleanly leaving only the middle section in the shaft. If you keep your shaft greased the shear pin center will be easy to push out with a 1/4" drift pin. I have seen Grade 5 bolts recommended as a less expensive alternative to the correct shear bolt recommended by Kubota (actually the manufacturer of the snowblower itself). It is your machine, but keep in mind that Kubota no longer sells the gears inside the front gearbox, and you have to purchase the entire gearbox as an assembly. The current cost of the Worm Gearbox is $684.58. While Kubota is very proud of their shear bolts at $3.68 it is still a lot less expensive to pay their outrageous price than it is to buy a gearbox. If you are handy, then buy one at the Kubota dealer and set up your lathe to cut the bolts you buy in bulk and make your own. I have also seen some on eBay inexpensively, however, the one that I just looked at that claims it is correct for the BX2750 isn't because it has only one groove in it and the threaded section is in the path of the shear. On the correct shear bolt, the groove is just at the point where the threads end. Part # 70001-00538 is replaced with 70060-01338
If you care to read more about my discussions about shear bolts, do a search for "shear bolt" along with "DustyRusty". Here is a thread that I wrote about the incorrect installation of shear bolts. https://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/threads/snowblower-shear-pins.60495/
If you want to see what it is like to replace the gearbox.

Another... Watch both and note the differences in techniques.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

if you really want to have 'fun', spend a FULL DAY removing barbed wire from a rototiller ! I'm thinking it was maybe 300-350' long..... First rigging pass of the day too.....
after that 'one shear bolt' doesn't sound too bad....

 

[rocinante]

Buy the correct shear pins from the Kubota dealer. The correct shear pins are grooved in exactly the right place to break off cleanly leaving only the middle section in the shaft. If you keep your shaft greased the shear pin center will be easy to push out with a 1/4" drift pin.

I'm pretty careful about that - I always buy the Kubota shear pins, being at best only semi mechanically adept! (And wow...those fearless people who take apart their machines down to the guts and repair them...I'm in AWE!).

Mostly I put 'em in, hand-tighten them and check them each time I go out to ensure they're secure. I think this bolt coming off, more or less intact, but bent at the end was a one-off (at least I hope so). Typically while they break in the impeller they're usually partly left in there or disappear to "somewhere" on the land. I carry in my backhoe a plastic jug with pins, wrenches and a small screwdriver for doing the "hole locate" and push-out portion of the work. No idea how this bolt worked its way under the flat portion of the impeller blade, but I hope it doesn't happen again...