How to Replace Shear Pins in a Craftsman 900 Series Tiller

A shear pin on the Craftsman 900 series tiller is designed so that the tines secured to the main shaft break free when they hit a very hard object, such as a rock buried in the ground. The shear pin slides through the tines' housing then through the main shaft. When the shear pin breaks, the tines' housing then rotates freely around the shaft. This protects the main shaft from breaking. The process for replacing the shear pin is very easy to do.

Things You'll Need

• Leather gloves
• Replacement shear pin
• Cotter pin

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Tilt the Craftsman tiller backward so the tines are resting off of the ground.

   • 2

     Turn the tines manually until the hole on the tines' housing lines up with the hole on the main shaft.

   • 3

     Slide the shear pin through the hole in the housing and the main shaft. The pin must protrude from the backside of the tines' housing.

   • 4

     Press the tip of a cotter pin through the hole drilled in the side of the shear pin. This keeps the shear pin from falling out.