Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Does anyone know a good place to pickup a few more shear pins for my ariens 926DLE? i haven't broken any yet, but they do bend a bit each season (one had to be hammered out last season) and i now replace them during the end of season maintenance. i just used my last pair. will also need a new sparkplug...

i'm located in the mississauga/oakville area of Ontario.

after checking with the us online guys, and figuring on UPS delivery to canada (a big no-no - they just hose you with fees - much better to go USPS), i found a local dealer with reasonable pricing ($3/pin) - most around here wanted $4. 

Why go through all of that hassle? 

Take a shear pin to a hardware store and buy a suitably sized bolt of soft steel and locking nut  .  Hardware personnel should be able to provide you with a bolt to replace the pin.  You can buy a life time supply for the cost you're looking at.

how can i tell if the steel bolt will have the same break strength?  i've come close to breaking the pins a few times already, and don't want to break the gearbox.

oakville wrote:

Shear bolts are made of mild steel.  A mild steel bolt of the same size should have the same or close to the same breaking point.   Bring a shear bolt with you and talk to your hardware guy.  He'll know what's suitable for your machine.  You could also buy Craftsman or other brand shear pins/bolts as long as they're the right diameter and length.  No need to buy brand specific shear bolts.  That's just another money grab scam.  I've been using mild bolts for years.  They break as required.    I can buy a dozen mild steel bolts for the price of four brand name shear bolts.