shear pin for bush hog from grade 5 bolt?

[Doc Dave]

If I took a grade 5 bolt and heated it red hot, then let it cool slowly, would it bring it down to near enought grade 2 to use as a shear pin? The tractor dealer is not very close to my house, and I was wondering about converting a bolt. A former neighbor of mine that was a machinist once made me some shear pins out of some bolts he had...he somehow softened them appropriately. But, I thought that the metal was different between the grades as well as possible heat treatment?

[HWooldridge]

I can't answer your question precisely but the shear pins I have from the dealer on my shredder "look" like Grade 5. However, the shear pins on my baler are slightly tapered so they are not something I can buy anywhere else but John Deere (probably what they intended). Unfortunately, you probably won't find out if it's soft enough unless you hit something - so if I was giving advice, I would use it only in an emergency and until I could replace it with the factory bolt. They are cheap enough and designed for the purpose.

[Charles Talbert]

Local hardware

Grade 2 bolts are widely available at your local hardware or home improvement warehouse. The dealers around us don't carry anything less than grade 5.

[JimmieD]

Right. Grade 2 bolts have no marks at all on the head of the bolt, and grade 5 starts with at least 3 hash marks on head.

[MoparNorm]

Dave!
I'd hate to see you in need of a human Doc, get the correct part from your mower manufacturer!
MN

[Gordon Maney]

Part of this pivots on whether you really want to pull hard with this winch. If not, put brass in it until you get the right part.

What do you use, Charles, the bolt you mention?

[Charles Talbert]

In winch drive lines, I use the Braden shear pins. Bush hogs & such, a grade 2 bolt is OK has been my experience. Nothing at all wrong with using the genuine item from the manufacturer though. Mower shear pins are almost unheard of here, everything is equipped with a slip clutch these days.