Sheer pins

[tsteahr]

Hello,

I have a front blower on order for my Massey GC2410. based on what I have read here, I have asked the dealer include a bunch of spare sheer pins with delivery. In my past experience with a single stage front blower on my lawn tractor as well as a 9hp Simplicity walk behind I have never had to replace a sheer pin.

Under what circumstances do people tend to loose pins? I understand if you hit something solid, but can you break a pin by just trying to put to much snow through the blower at once?

Thanks.

 

[amkfken]

You should get a few with the blower, 2 different lengths, rocks seem to raise he** with them, go to a hardware store with the samples and get some more (2 or 4) of the various lengths.
I have broken a few in 2 years, replacements work as well as "factory pins", just picked up an oval rock the size of 2 softballs, killed the engine-didn't bother any shear pin or any part of the driveline--go figure!

Just Lucky!!

 

[irvingj]

tsteahr- the first time I had to replace a pin was last year, blowing the same neighbor's house down the road... just TOUCHED the stone wall and one of the shearpins let go. Other than that, a 1" diameter buried branch (we tend to get a lot of that around here) or good-sized stone will accomplish the same.

Those pins are designed to shear --lot cheaper than a gearbox-- so I don't mind it when they do their job.

Don't know how I managed to get through the first winter I had it without breaking one.... though that may have been because I got the 2310/blower in February, and had most likely already cleared any hidden debris with the walk-behind. (That ol' Toro 8-HP may not throw snow as well as it used to, but it'll still zing rocks real well!)

 

[JerryK]

The PTO shaft shear pin takes the most abuse. If you have a new blower, before it is broke in and loose, it is real easy to pop the clutch a little too fast and break it. After the blower gets some hours on it, you still stress the PTO shear pin each time to engage the blower. Over time, this stress will finally do in the shear pin...and this is normal.

 

[JerryK]

You will also notice, over the years, that the pins tend to break in a direct relationship to how cold it is, how cold you are, how far you are from any tools or spare parts, and how bad your day has been going......

 

[PILOON]

You will also notice, over the years, that the pins tend to break in a direct relationship to how cold it is, how cold you are, how far you are from any tools or spare parts, and how bad your day has been going......

Don't you know it!

Must be another Murphy's law rule!

Try replacing pins when you have Renaud's syndrom! (fingers go white without any feeling)

I now keep a minimum of 6 spare pins with the tractor at all times.
Funny as last year I could replace 3-4 every outing and so far this year only 1 for 4 outings, go figure.

 

[tsteahr]

Interesting point about a new blower being tight and engagement fatigue. I'm guessing engaging at about 1500rpm is best? I have not engaged my pto with any load on it yet. Is there a spot in the pto engagement lever travel where there is some slip? Something akin to using a manual transmission clutch where a smooth engagement provides just enough slip to not have a shock or jerk rather than just poping the clutch?

 

[JohninCT]

I'm guessing engaging at about 1500rpm is best? quote]

That's the way I've always engaged PTO attachments... engage at low RPM and then throttle up to PTO speed. In a normal situation I also disengage the opposite... throttle down to low RPM then disengage the PTO. This minimizes shock loads on the drive train.

 

[JerryK]

I usually do the throttle down to engage/disengage the PTO thing. Especially with the wood chipper and the flywheel effect.. Since my blower has some time on it, I usually just feather the clutch pedal, when I remember too..... There are always those 'oh ****' moments, but that is just part of life....... Usually get away with it, unless my fingers are froze...long way from the barn....etc....

 

[tsteahr]

The GC2410 has a mechanical PTO engagement lever. There is no clutch per say with the HST. Can these be engaged gradually (ie over the course of one second) or to they engage with a sudden grab (a couple tenths of a second) like a electric pto engagement on a lawn tractor?