Check your shear pins and bolts

[Beeman]

No matter what anyone tells you make sure you use the correct shear pin or bolts in your equipment. Also be sure no one has installed a standard bolt in place of a shear pin or bolt.
Neighbor called me to ask if I could pull the yoke on his auger. As soon as he pulled in the drive I knew what happened. I asked him if the local tractor dealer told him to use a standard bolt instead of the shear bolt. Which of course is what happened as this is what they tell everyone that comes in wanting to buy a shear bolt. He's lucky no one got hurt or worse as the PTO shaft U-joint broke when the auger jammed. Instead of just replacing the shear bolt he now need a new yoke, u-joint, and possibly a shaft.
No matter what any "Old Timer" or anyone else tells you use the proper shear bolt/pin. Buy a hand full to keep if you break them often but don't put anything else in there.

[Sawmill Jim]

Have used grade 8 bolts for years .They are hard enough to snap anything less wont snap but will wad expanding the surrounding area . What ever the rockwell hardness of the shear pin can be matched to a bolt would appear to be ok and much easier an cheaper to find here . Grade 2 or 5 will stretch an make a lot of fun work removing them an fixing other things too. Some areas it is tough to find grade 8 bolts an near impossible to get sheer pins . If you are breaking new ground with a mold board plow you might need a case of pins

[texican]

You mean we shouldn't be using baling wire, or barbed wire? [I think wire would shear sooner rather than later] My grandpa would use whatever was handy, to get him through the day... even if it meant having that piece of equipment might be broke for a month afterwards.

[VERN in IL]

Tractor dealer, find that hard to believe.

[Beeman]

Originally Posted by VERN in IL

Tractor dealer, find that hard to believe.

What can I say, I've heard it myself at that dealer and others when I was looking for shear bolts.
Shear bolts are grade 2 with no markings on the head.

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by Beeman

What can I say, I've heard it myself at that dealer and others when I was looking for shear bolts.
Shear bolts are grade 2 with no markings on the head.

Beeman is right. Use the grade 2 bolt and it will shear. Use the grade 6 if you need to but it will not shear as easy. Put a Grede 8 bolt in and never have to worry about it shearing at all.

[Beeman]

Next step up from grade 2 is grade 5, DO NOT INSTALL A GRADE 5 as a shear bolt. This is what caused this last mess. I have seen incredible destruction from using grade 5's especially with a higher HP tractor.

General rule for grades is count the marks on the head and add 2, grade 2 no marks, grade 5 has 3 marks grade 8 has 6 marks.