I'll admit I have welded some augers on walk behind snowblowers and gotten away with it,but it will usually result in some other part breaking instead if something un-chewable gets in the auger,probably a more expensive and harder to change part,too!..my 5 hp blowers lacked enough power to destroy themselves,but a 10HP or more tractor might just have enough ooomph to make a mess of the auger,drive setup,etc..usually the belt or chain will bust first,but not always,not before causing a lot of wreckage!..
I have used brass or bronze bolts in place of genuine shear bolts when none were to be found in the hardware stores after several snowfalls in rapid succession with good results..if you use grade 2 steel bolts you'll stand a better chance of having them break before anything else does (other than the belt or chain) probably..I have ground a groove in grade 2 bolts like real shear pins have and they snapped before anything else did,yet didn't break as easily as a shear pin..we get slushy snow here often and its **** on sowblowers..you'll spend more time replacing shear pins than blowing with it it seems sometimes--(that and unclogging the darn chute!).
The local DPW crew here uses large cotter pins,rather than shear pins, in the older blowers they use to clear the school sidewalks and other town property,and the guy I know who does it says he has few problems with them shearing,and when they do its easier to change them,no having to use a punch and hammer to get them out,and so far he only had one auger get muckled when a 6" steel inspection cover over an underround valve got scooped into the auger!..
I have used brass or bronze bolts in place of genuine shear bolts when none were to be found in the hardware stores after several snowfalls in rapid succession with good results..if you use grade 2 steel bolts you'll stand a better chance of having them break before anything else does (other than the belt or chain) probably..I have ground a groove in grade 2 bolts like real shear pins have and they snapped before anything else did,yet didn't break as easily as a shear pin..we get slushy snow here often and its **** on sowblowers..you'll spend more time replacing shear pins than blowing with it it seems sometimes--(that and unclogging the darn chute!).
The local DPW crew here uses large cotter pins,rather than shear pins, in the older blowers they use to clear the school sidewalks and other town property,and the guy I know who does it says he has few problems with them shearing,and when they do its easier to change them,no having to use a punch and hammer to get them out,and so far he only had one auger get muckled when a 6" steel inspection cover over an underround valve got scooped into the auger!..
