Belts and shear pins always break on a Sunday night in the middle of a blizzard. So buy replacement parts at the start of the season when everyone has them in stock. If you break a shear pin and try to improvise using the wrong shear pin, or worse yet, an ordinary bolt, you risk major damage that can easily cost you $200. You’ll need to change the belt in your snowblower from time to time too, so grab set of belts and a few extra shear pins.
Also make sure you have the right size of wrenches and sockets and the correct size pin punch to drive out the broken pin. Then assemble a parts and tool kit.
Prevent Major Auger Damage
The drive shaft applies torque to the shear pin, which then applies it to the auger. However, if the auger rusts to the drive shaft, they’ll become one and the shear pin will never break. If that happens, the auger clog can cause major damage to the machine. Lubricate the drive shaft to prevent it from rusting to the auger. Remove shear pins and lubricate the drive shaft with lubricating oil. Then spin the auger to spread the oil along the length of the shaft. Reinstall shear pins.