Snow Blower Shear Pin Replacement
In This Guide
Learning how to replace shear pins is one of the most useful snow blower skills there is, because a broken shear pin is a common reason the auger stops turning, and the fix is quick, cheap, and well within any owner's ability. Shear pins are meant to break, that is their whole job, so replacing them is a routine part of snow blower ownership rather than a sign something has gone badly wrong. Here is how they work and how to swap them.
What Shear Pins Do, and Why They Break
Shear pins are small, soft metal pins that connect the auger to the drive shaft that turns it. They are a deliberate weak point. When the auger strikes something it cannot move, a chunk of ice, a hidden newspaper, a stone, the sudden shock would otherwise be transmitted straight into the auger gearbox, which is expensive.
Instead, the shear pin snaps, instantly disconnecting the auger from the shaft and absorbing the shock. A broken shear pin is the system working exactly as designed, sacrificing a cheap pin to save a costly gearbox.
The Golden Rule: Never Use a Regular Bolt
What You Will Need
The correct replacement shear pins for your model (check the manual or the part number), replacement cotter pins if yours use them, a punch or a thin screwdriver to push out the old pin, pliers, and gloves. Buying a small pack of the right pins keeps spares on hand.
How to Replace a Shear Pin
1. Stop the engine and disconnect the plug lead
Non-negotiable before touching the auger. Let everything come to a complete stop.
2. Find the broken pin
Locate the shear pin holes where the auger meets the shaft. You will see the remains of the snapped pin, or an empty hole.
3. Remove the old pin
Remove the cotter pin if fitted, then push the broken shear pin out with a punch or screwdriver.
4. Line up the holes
Rotate the auger by hand so its hole lines up with the hole in the shaft.
5. Insert the new shear pin
Push the correct new shear pin through both holes.
6. Secure it
Fit the cotter pin or retaining clip to hold the shear pin in place.
7. Reconnect and test
Reconnect the plug lead, start the machine, and gently engage the auger to confirm it turns.
If You Are Breaking Pins Often
Shear pins breaking occasionally is normal. Breaking them frequently is a sign of something else: you may be hitting hidden obstacles, taking on ice or gravel the machine is not suited to, or forcing it too hard into packed snow.
Rather Have a Real Technician Handle It?
A Wildwood technician comes to your driveway, diagnoses the snow blower on site, and gets it running, usually in about an hour. More than 10,000 repairs completed since 2019, with flat rates quoted before we arrive so there are no surprises. When the snow is falling, you cannot wait around.