How to Use Nails in Place of Shear Pins

Shear pins are often a simple bolt design.

When a piece of equipment fitted with a shear pin stops working in the middle of using it, the shear pin has probably broken. Shear pins are designed to break to protect the more sensitive parts of the machine from damage. This usually occurs when a moving part of the machine comes into contact with an obstacle that keeps it from moving forward. The stress transfers to the pin and it shears off. If you can't make it to the store for a replacement shear pin right away, consider using a nail until a proper pin can be found.

Things You'll Need

• Tapered center punch
• Hammer
• Pliers

Instructions

1. Remove any fragments of the sheared pin from the hole in which it broke. Use a hammer and tapered center punch to tap it out of the hole(s).

2. Realign the two parts of the machine or equipment that the shear pin was holding together. This can most often be done by hand after the fragments of the shear pin have been removed. If you can't do it by hand, engage the operating mechanism of the machine so it spins the powered part until its hole aligns with the hole in the unpowered part. This may require several attempts before achieving realignment. It's easier if you ask someone to watch the holes while you engage the operating mechanism.

3. Slip a nail of equal size to the diameter of the shear pin through the realigned holes. The nail must be long enough to go all the way through the holes. The head of the nail must be wide enough so it doesn't go straight through the hole. If the shaft of the nail size matches that of the shaft of the shear pin, you shouldn't have a problem.

4. Bend the pointed end of the nail with a hammer or pair of pliers until its flat on the part of the machine it was inserted through. Engage the machine to see if the nail holds the two parts together. If it does, continue working, but get a new shear pin as soon as possible. The nail is just a temporary fix.

Tips & Warnings

• Nails are not shear pins. Only use a nail as a last resort. It won't do any damage to the machine, but nails aren't as strong as shear pins and may not provide the strength needed to keep the machine working for very long.

• Never touch or stand near the parts of a machine while they are moving. Always turn off the machine before attempting to make any repairs.