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 | TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley 
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2001-08-31 31444
I broke a shear bolt on a new post-hole auger. The dealer hadn't sent extra shears. I verified that a grade-2 5/16th x 2 1/2 bolt would be acceptable. Most hardware store bolts are grade-2. I'm aware that grade codes are indicated on bold heads as a number of 'hash marks' and that no mark is grade-2. I found an old 5/16th bolt in my toolbox and looked at the bolt head. There were three hash marks, but the marks were on arranged sort of like rays. I've seen grade codes as short parallel lines. I wasn't sure if the marks on my old bolt were grade codes or a manufacturer’s decoration so I didn't use it. Ended up going to town for new hardware and lost a half day's work. Better than risking a broken gearbox I suppose. Maybe somebody knows if I had a bolt with decorations or grade codes. Anyway, knowing about grade codes is a good thing. Many people probably have old SAE bolts in their toolboxes. SAE bolts may be harder and aren't appropriate for everything. By the same token, grade-2 bolts aren't standard for all shear pins.
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2001-08-31 31446
Tom I would have put in the grade five bolt you found rather than waste half a day. When you installed it if you would have left it loose you would not have the full strength of the bolt and it probably would be fine. You are right that the difference in the bolts for application do make a difference and in some applications we do see even grade eight used some time as shear bolts. You are right on what gets sold and by who as we don't even stock grade two bolts except for use as shear bolts. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-09-01 31486
Thanks Art. I'm not in a position to make those kinds of calculated risks since my tractor mechanics experience is still a bit thin. Figured it was best to stick to what the dealer identified as the correct bolt. It’s good to know about the loose shear-bolt trick for next time. Anyway, it wasn't quite a half-day nor was it completely lost. On the other hand, it did rain on our chipboard walled shed before we got the roof done. ....
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 | harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY 
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2001-09-01 31487
Tom a lot depends on the soil you are in. I think I remember you saying you had sandy stuff. You could get away with the harder bolt as a temp fix. Our soil here produces BFR's I shear my fair share of bolts. I buy them by the pound at tractor supply. I twisted the auger shaft holes pretty bad with a harder shear bolt. Got the job done and spent spare time repairing auger welding and reinforcing. When you feel the auger ticking a BFR it is simpler to pull out and use a bar to pry out rock. My other headache is roots. We bury our animals by the big shade trees. Roots are tough on shear bolts, but it is not a shock load like a rock. A big pipe wrench is usually required to back the auger out of mucky ground. You will find the right combination of rpm and finesse of the 3pt lever will lessen the problems. GOOD LUCK! ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-09-01 31489
Thanks Harvey. Yep, the soil is very sandy and the auger goes through it like butter. A previous owner had very unusual ideas about many things. Neighbours told us that there were several trenches filled with granite chunks (probably from highway cut blasting). It was a drainage idea that nobody understood, and that's what I hit. I found the other end of it once with a backhoe. What seemed to work best was starting a hole at about 1200-rpm and then increasing to 1500. I think PTO rpm would be fast and would produce a lot of bucking. About halfway down the 4' holes, the auger would start angling back towards the tractor and bucking. I'd inch the tractor forward a bit and finish the hole. Next time if I'm on level ground, I think I'll try releasing the brakes and see if the auger pushes the tractor and centres itself. I lifted the 3ph to pull the auger up a bit at least once per foot of hole. I understand that since a 3ph lowers in an arc, the auger tends to get stuck in the hole unless it is periodically lifted. The next project is a fence along a highway right of way. There are sizable rock faces nearby and I'll likely find some old highway rock fill. Like you, I should buy shears by the pound. Even so, I figure that some postholes will be impossible, so I'm prepared to use old split-rail type posts in places. Like many unusual ideas, there are often good reasons why nobody understood the previous owner’s drainage system. It didn’t take long for sand to migrate into the rock fill, so the trenches ended up providing the same drainage as the rest of the ground. However, according to local stories, that was not before the septic tank overflowed and the trenches managed to contaminate his dug well. We don’t use any of the original stuff, but I still can’t help wondering where the buried car is that was used for a septic tank. ....
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| Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2001-09-01 31490
Tom it just makes me wonder what else he might have buried! I like the hydraulic drive augers up here in NY. That way you can just back them out when you get them stuck. By the way I've got a roof off and it's just covered with OSB and it's raining, great day huh? ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-09-02 31503
My father-in-law was using his metal detector to help look for survey stakes. He detected a lot, but no stakes. He made comments like: 'Here's another one. It's about the shape of a stove.' Survey crews seem to have better detectors and found the stakes. There seems to be quite a bit of stuff down there. I don't know how the guy did all the digging, because his equipment was a log skidder. Apparently the 'old car for a septic tank' wasn't that uncommon around here. I have joked that since you have to occasionally dig down and reparge a concrete tank, I wonder if you have to replace weather stripping on the doors of a 'car system?' Rain and chipboard: Well, if it's nailed on the walls, then at least it's not laying around in puddles. Of course, if it wasn't nailed on the walls then it would be on pallets under a tarp. Tough call. I hope the thought is worse than the damage. Sure wish I could justify things like hydraulic augers for my occasional use implements. ....
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