Re: Tohatsu shear pins

J.J. Falkanger (gatorjj@mindspring.com)
Sat, 28 Nov 1998 22:04:13 -0500


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Hi Bob,

The shear pin is a pin (usually brass?) that inserts between your drive
shaft and prop to make the prop spin. It's intended to be the designed-in
weak link. If you hit something with your prop, or get it tangled in a
line, it will break rather than damaging the prop or motor.

Unfortunately, mine (on a tohatsu 3.5) like to break when I shift from
Neutral to Forward. Perhaps the 5hp model, which I think has F-N-R gearing,
has a better clutch? Or any clutch?

Anyway, it sounds like yours works fine, but you probably ought to know
about it anyway. Keep it in the back of your mind for the first time your
motor "won't go into gear" and you'll be fine, since it's easy to replace.
Just make sure you've got a spare somewhere!

J.J. Falkanger
Cary, NC
P-19 #792 "Fozzguppy"

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob <rcpmd@roanoke.infi.net>
To: wwpotter@tscnet.com <wwpotter@tscnet.com>
Date: Saturday, November 28, 1998 9:57 PM
Subject: Tohatsu shear pins

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> West Wight Potter Website at URL
> http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>Everyone is talking about breaking shear pins. I have a Tohatsu 5 HP
>outboard and have never broken a shear pin, and come to think of it, I
>don't even know what or where they are. Can someone tell me what I'm
>missing?
>Bob Patten
>Daleville, VA
>