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

I have a new Honda HS928TCD blower.  Apparently a change was made in the past for the shear pins for the HS928 so now there are two types available, depending on the frame serial number. The older style pins have a P/N of  95701-06016-00 and the newer style is 92101-06016-0A. Since I have a bunch of the older style shear pins, I am wondering what the nature of the change was and if the older type of shear pins will work for the newer model.  If the old style is used on the new frame type, is there a danger to the gearcase because the shearing point is different?  See  http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Honda/Snow%20Blower/0/HS928%20WAS%20SNOW%20BLOWER%2C%20JPN%2C%20VIN%23%20SZAS-1100001%20TO%20SZAS-1129999/AUGER/parts.html for the illustrations.  Any ideas out there?

Dr_Woof wrote: Not the common hardware-store-grade ones. Not every bolt is tested, as the test itself destroys the bolt. The same logic that applies to fuses is used here, they're never tested, rather a select amount from each lot are. If a lot does not meet specs, it's usually recycled.
During the manufacture of common bolts, the markings are stamped in when the heads are formed. It's based on knowing the type of steel that is being used - and there are hundreds of types - and the heat-treating process that will be followed. This must be done before treatment while the steel is still (relatively) soft.

Sorry to digress but speaking of a fuse - the thermal fuse on my Kitchenaid dishwashwer went last night - it was an easy fix once you figure out it is a fuse issue.  Dodged another bullet this week as my gas dryer was giving me a burning smell a week before.  These forums are great for narrowing down issues. 

As far as I am concerned, I don't have any issue using 8.8 Metric grade shear bolts on my Honda if I ever have to replace it or them.

Dr_Woof wrote:
Hmmmm, I might be more likely to listen to AC / DC !!!!

I will have my son play  "Back in Black" on his Yamaha piano.  It is an interesting thought although AD/DC's motif is consistent and so similar.

MN_Runner wrote:
The bolts (shear pins) I bought on Ebay for my Honda HS928 arrived today.  The  OE replacements that came with the Honda are exactly like that shown by Mn_runner on the Right.  The Ebay bolts are marked P  M  and 8.8, similar to the ones on the Left.  Thet are slightly longer than the OE bolts from Honda.  They are supplied with Nyloc locking nuts.

The bolts pictured by the seller on Ebay appear to be the same as the ones he sent.  But the picture there is somewhat misleading as it shows them in a plastic bag with the Honda part number and "made in Japan" on the bag.  Ones he shipped were just in a plastic bag with no markings.

Checking on Google, looks like a metric 8.8 bolt is equivalent to an SAE grade 5 bolt.  Don't know what the "P  M" refers to - perhaps the manufacturer?  MN_runner's bolts appear to be grade 8.8 but I can't quite make out the top letters.  Looks like these will probably work as shear pins for the Honda.  Been blowing lots of snow lately - old hard stuff on a gravel drive - and haven't had to repalce a shear pin yet.

My 8.8 bolts has "CHS" which is the name of the manufacturer.  So "PM" is the manufacturer of your 8.8 bolts.  I called all three Honda dealers and they told me to use Grade 5 or Metric 8.8 bolts.  Metric 8.8 is slightly weaker than Grade 5 if you convert MPa to PSI.

Can you show me a picture of your bolt?

Here's some shear pin pictures.  The bottom picture shows the relative lengths of the two bolts (Ebay is the longer one, OE Honda the shorter).  The top picture shows  the OE Honda bolt (right) and both top and bottom views of the Ebay bolts with a Nyloc nut in place (left).  The really long and dark bolt is the Honda OE shearpin for the auger gearbox drive shaft; these hardly ever break but there are lots on sale with Ebay just listed as Honda shear pins so if you need regular shearpins don't get these.

Woof,

The length of my "CHS 8.8" was identical to the Honda shear bolts.   I also bought 5 Honda OE shaft shear pins/nuts from Oregon where they were selling the pack for less than $15 plus free shipping (http://cgi.ebay.com/5-Pack-Honda-Replacement-Shear-Pins-90102-732-010-/320634476673?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa74dd881).  Thanks for the pictures.

My dealer's price on the bolts were cheaper than the nuts.  WTF?  Next time I'm buying a bag of Stainless flange nuts (6mm) and getting for much less from another source.  Make sure the shear bolts you use are good for the job or the auger will self destruct.  I know a machinist and will ask what he thinks.  My dealer charges almost $4 the flange nuts and $1.50 for the bolts.  I didn't mind the bolt prices but the flange nuts were a total ripoff.

BTW I'd like to sell off my WAS 928 as we didn't get enough snow this year to warrant the purchase in Dec. was hoping to get work out of it.  Played with it in only 4" snow to see how it handles and it is great.  Just don't want to store it until next season while all the people around us got pounded.  Like to recoupe my investment.  Have the factory shop manual and owner's manual.  Not sure how to post contact info or if it's allowed.  I'm in Pittsburgh and will post on Craigslist soon.

For Honda bolt, nut, and general parts, the first five digits of the part number are the function and component code. The next five are the bolt or nut dimensions. The next digit is the ISO code and the last number is the chemical surface treatment code. I suspect Honda made a surface treatment change to the bolt; maybe they changed it from zinc to something else and changed it from a flange bolt to a regular hex bolt. 

If you do some cross referencing  with the Honda snowblower shear bolt number 95701-06016-00 you will find that bolt is used on thousands of Honda applications. Everything from Honda automobiles, Honda motorcycles, Honda outboard motors etc. It appears the shear bolt is not a specially treated or tempered bolt at all. It is just an ordinary metric grade 8.8 bolt. By the way, as mentioned in other responses, a metric grade 8.8 is roughly equivalent to a SAE grade 5 bolt. I wouldn't use a metric grade 10.9 or SAE grade 8 bolt as a shear bolt. Its shear strength may be too high for the auger gear box.

I also would not use a SAE grade 2 bolt as some people suggest. These bolts tend to bend and smear instead of shearing off cleanly. Just try to remove a smeared bolt and observe the damage it has done to the mating parts and you'll understand.

You can order the Honda flange bolt from numerous online Honda auto dealers for a lot less than you can from many Honda Powersports dealers.  Hondapartsnow.com sells them for $0.58 each. Locking hex nuts are extremely cheap when bought by the package. Or just buy any hex M6-1.00 x16 grade 8.8 bolt. If you want  it to be a flange bolt however, it may be very hard to find at a local hardware store. Just use a washer. You can also change from metric to SAE. Just use 1/4 - 28 x 5/8. They may be even cheaper.

This is all my two cents worth, based on a lot of research after I got sick of being ripped off when I had to pay $2 for a little bolt that was said to be something "special".  My HS1132TA gets lots of use up here in the mountains around Tahoe and eats up those shear pins left and right. Not a fault of the machine though, my 600' driveway is required by local ordinances to have a 1' x 2' gravel filled trench all around it. Those rocks tend to mysteriously find there way into the auger no matter how hard I try to stay away from the edge. Especially at night. 

By the way, it seems everyone around Lake Tahoe has a Honda snowblower and the local hardware stores sell thousands of ordinary metric 8.8 hex bolts. Guess what they are used for? They also have OEM Honda bolts if you want to pay 5 times as much.