Shear pin vs slip clutch.

   / Shear pin vs slip clutch. #1  

VroomVroom

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Apr 30, 2010
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Location
Newfoundland
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Mahindra 2816 HST, Super M farmall, J5 bombardier, 230 timber jack skidder
I have an offer to buy a snowblower! Lucknow 72 inch single auger. It's a shear pin model. I'm wondering if it is a pain replacing shear pins. Also has anyone converted to a slip clutch? As well, how do you know how much to torque the slip clutch?. If you try plowing the same snow drift and break shear pins, and you adjust the clutch not to slip in the same location your kind of defeating the purpose of the protection.
 
   / Shear pin vs slip clutch. #2  
I have an offer to buy a snowblower! Lucknow 72 inch single auger. It's a shear pin model. I'm wondering if it is a pain replacing shear pins. Also has anyone converted to a slip clutch? As well, how do you know how much to torque the slip clutch?. If you try plowing the same snow drift and break shear pins, and you adjust the clutch not to slip in the same location your kind of defeating the purpose of the protection.

I like the simple and maintenance free shear pins.
 
   / Shear pin vs slip clutch. #3  
If the tractor is the right size for the snowblower and ground speed is adequate...you'll hardly ever replace the shear pins.
Very easy to replace when they brake anyway.
They're no big deal in my opinion.
 
   / Shear pin vs slip clutch. #4  
I like the simple and maintenance free shear pins.
I was pissed when I went to do the annual maintenance on my slip clutch on my rotary cutter & found a pin not a clutch under the shield (dealer said it had a clutch). By the time I sold it I had never replaced a sheer pin. In the same time I've spent a couple hours doing the annual cleaning & adjustment on the slip clutch on my tiller. I haven't broken a pin on my blower in the year I I've owned it.

So basically my one slip clutch has been MUCH more work & maintenance than all my sheer pins combined. I'm rather ambivalent about clutch vs pin now. A clutch is "better" but requires an hour or so of maintenance annually.
 
   / Shear pin vs slip clutch. #5  
So basically my one slip clutch has been MUCH more work & maintenance than all my sheer pins combined. I'm rather ambivalent about clutch vs pin now. A clutch is "better" but requires an hour or so of maintenance annually.
On my tiller slip clutch, I have the clutch set where I like it.
Each year I just loosen the clutch bolts counting the number of turns, stick it in the ground to slip the clutch, set the tension bolts back the same number of turns to where it was set before and go.
Takes 5 or 10 minutes.
 
   / Shear pin vs slip clutch. #6  
I don't think I have ever seen a slip clutch on a snowblower. Are you referring to the shear bolt on the auger side shaft or the one on the PTO shaft? I have never, ever seen anything but a shear bolt on the side shaft to the auger chain and almost all snowblower PTO shafts have a shear yoke at one end or the other. So in short, shear bolts on a snowblower are just fine, and only will break if you hit something or if there is a big mismatch between the snowblower and the tractor. The most important things with snowblower shear bolts are to make sure it turns freely with the bolts out and make sure you have extra and wrenches with you. Having no extra bolts seems to be the best way to break them.
 
   / Shear pin vs slip clutch. #7  
On my tiller slip clutch, I have the clutch set where I like it.
Each year I just loosen the clutch bolts counting the number of turns, stick it in the ground to slip the clutch, set the tension bolts back the same number of turns to where it was set before and go.
Takes 5 or 10 minutes.
Yup, that's the standard annual maintenance to keep it working & slipping right. Otherwise it ends up rusted solid & work to slip when it should causing other important expensive things to break.
 
 
 
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