mickey48 wrote:
if it were a pin would it operate after i bump it out manually
Perhaps. The pin (looks like a 1/4" bolt) can break at one end and then it will move a little. This allows the gear to rotate loosely a little bit before the slack is taken up. That action could result in bind.
With the slide in the out position, look for a roughly 1" square tube that goes from one side of the slide to the other. In each end there will be what looks like a 1/4" bolt - that is your shear pin.
Make sure the head is still on one end and a nut is on the other. If either side is missing, the pin has broken and needs replacement.
I had one break on my last TT and never could figure out why. It never happened again.
In a pinch you could use a 1/4" bolt but you should put in a real shear pin. They are available anyplace you find snow-blower parts. Tthe blades of the blowers are connected by the same pins. I got a set off Fleabay real cheap.
Anyone with a rack and pinion type slide should at least have a spare bolt on hand.