I "rescued" and old Ariens this summer and after cleaning, lubing and adjusting, the first snow finally came. Although I looked like an idiot actrually piling snow on to my driveway to test it out, I was really disappointed. It couldn't throw the snow out of its own way. Then a significant snow came and it worked like a champ. Truly the impeller is a lot like a waterpump. It works best when full and moving snow. The type of snow and wind direction make for significant variations in impeller performance. Also make sure the deflector is adjusted to the up position. That seemed to make a difference too. Good luck. Rob.