Uftah! I need ideas how to drive out sheared auger pins ;-)

[SPYDERLK]

Along with other suggestions, try beveling the tip of the replacement bolt on a grinder. Then put it in the hole and press while rotating the auger. Youll probably be able to feel the shear line up vicinity. Tap the bolt while adjusting in that area. If it moves youve got it.

 

[GrandpaSmurf825]

Get a magnetic rechargeable led light you can stick to the housing above where you need the light. Many are adjustable so you can aim them exactly where they are needed. So you are in better shape for next time (there will always be a next time) because it isn't much help now. Once you succeed in getting the sheared piece out and the new bolt in. Mark the shaft and the hub clearly on both sides either with a paint pen or something that will be relatively easy to see with a flashlight or whatever you use next time. Of course with good light the sheared bolt will be shiny when you look in the hole if you are able to. That depends upon how much room there is.
If I followed the idea that someone put forth to put a second hole for alignment. If you put it further out away from the actual shear pin hole and only go maybe 3/8" deep it won't weaken the shaft and it will give you a positive alignment method that could save you much aggravation. Whomever suggested it had a good idea. As long as there is room to stay clear of the shear bolt hole it would have no impact on the function or strength of the shaft.

 

[CalG]

Get a magnetic rechargeable led light you can stick to the housing above where you need the light. Many are adjustable so you can aim them exactly where they are needed. So you are in better shape for next time (there will always be a next time) because it isn't much help now. Once you succeed in getting the sheared piece out and the new bolt in. Mark the shaft and the hub clearly on both sides either with a paint pen or something that will be relatively easy to see with a flashlight or whatever you use next time. Of course with good light the sheared bolt will be shiny when you look in the hole if you are able to. That depends upon how much room there is.
If I followed the idea that someone put forth to put a second hole for alignment. If you put it further out away from the actual shear pin hole and only go maybe 3/8" deep it won't weaken the shaft and it will give you a positive alignment method that could save you much aggravation. Whomever suggested it had a good idea. As long as there is room to stay clear of the shear bolt hole it would have no impact on the function or strength of the shaft.

If I recall correctly, the idea of the second hole was offerd by the Original Poster. ;-)

 

[DGF]

A small Kubota branded front blower with a central gearbox.
Early season blowing, there are always rocks! ;-(

Finding the darn left over center after the bolt head and nut have been ejected post shear failure just gets my goat.

It seems the replacement need is always at night, while it's snowing, under the yard light at the roof peak of the shop, and with 3/4 of the blowing yet to do.
Even with a hand held flash light, It's hard to see into the auger shaft fitting to even FIND the broken section. Grease, snow, and poor lighting.

Then, even as I think I've lined everything up in readiness of a punch and hammer blow, the auger turns it's self ever so slightly and all is lost. It's hard to manipulate the auger, hold a flashlight, get everything lined up, then put down the flash light, pick up the punch and hammer, and strike a useful blow.
This auger even has about 3/4 inch of "shuck" left to right that needs to be aligned, as well as the rotation alignment.

Maybe I should stop greasing the fitting ;-)

Hi,

I have had to do this exact thing several times.. Here is a tip.. Take a pointed punch and make registraition marks in the auger shaft and the auger tubes. They can be on either the inside near the gear box or the outside near the bearing. Clean the metal and using a bright red paint pen you can highlight the registraition mark so you can easily find the red dots. When these marks are alingned you will know that the auger tube and the shaft are in the exact right position. Then, just take a flat punch and knock the slug out. These slugs can be hard to see because the metal will sometimes smear when the pin shears but this method lines them up every time. Prior a pin change was at times agonizoning but now it takes maybe 10 minutes. i have also found that factory type shear pins fatigue over time and break for alomst no reason so I've switched to a standard bolt which is a little stiffer. Years of service and no problems with these shearing when there is ice or something. I've also started adding a dab of never-seize on the replacements which makes knocking the slug out of the shaft easier because as you said they always break at the worst time. A key operational tip for these blowers - Always engauge the augers with the engine RPM at idle and then rev it up to speed and typically the blower will work quite well at PTO speeds lower than full rating. Keeping the RPMs down to what you need takes some of the strain off the augers. From there its just a matter of making slow steady passes.