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

First ingestion of the year!!!

I've got just a few hours on my Cub Cadet SWE930. I had just started to clear the parking pad near my side door (engine was at only 3100 RPM). Started moving forward when things bogged down and quit.
I looked in to see what had gone wrong. I have, or used to, one of those spiral wire and bristle door mats for cleaning out the tread in my boots and shoes. It is unrecognizable now. A wad of twisted wire and a few bristley bits.
The augers didn't stall the engine, the wire of the mat getting pulled into the impeller did. It took about 45 minutes with wire cutters and a crow bar to get everything out. 2 shear pins later, all is in fine working order.Oh, and the extra shear pins that are stored in the handlebar panel were the wrong size. So I had to get more. I just ran up the road to the Cub Cadet dealer and picked up a set of 4. Pins and clips, $25. However, after doing a little thinking afterward. I looked up the Sears part number for their 33" Professional blower (88835). They're based on the same MTE chassis as my SWE930. a set of Sears shear pins (all 4) is only $6 including the clips. So I order a few packs.

So what are some of the things YOU folks have unintentionally treated as snow with your blowers?

Twenty five bucks for four shear pins? 

That is truly outrageous.  Tell us.  Were the personnel behind the counter wearing a mask?

Incredible.

 FYI, you can also buy low grade steel bolts that will work effectively as shear pins.  You can get a life time supply for $6.00. 

THE DEALERS RAPE YOU FOR THE SHEAR PINS GOT TO GET THEM AT LOWES OR DEPOT FOR THE GOOD PRICE !!!

Santaclause wrote:
No kidding. He didn't even kiss me first.
I checked at Home Depot. They didn't have any that fit, neither did Lowes. Sears.com had them.
If I keep breaking them I may just buy a bunch of grade 2 bolts. I think grade 5 would be too strong.

JimmyM wrote:

I think the ones for my Toro cost a buck a piece. See if the Toro shear pins will fit your Cub Cadet. The delaer gave me like 4-5 pins haven't used any last year or this year. It's a good thing rocks don't break the shear pins. I think wire or a thick newspaper would break the shear pins in any machine. Try Toro pins they are certainly cheaper if they fit.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
Why pay a buck for a shear pin when you can buy a handful of low grade steel bolts at a hardware store for the same money.  AVOID DEALERS WHENEVER POSSIBLE.  You'll save a great deal of money.