Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

hey all, I bought a new craftsman/mtd 28" 9hp  with the 4-way shute controller.after my last 26" hit a rock or something and didnt shear a pin. The impellar moves but the augers do not so I assume its the gear box or something. So the questions start to arise

1. I notice that the snowblower will sometimes just stop moving forward either when hitting stiff snow or sometimes like it will just stop (If I pick it up yeah the wheels are going but if I set it down sometimes it wont go)
 I really don't get this cause I've been over the adjustments- I understand how it works  as I've had them apart over the years so I dont need educated on the friction wheel and the belt. My question is that does the 9hp motor not have the power to push through it or do I have  an issue right out of the box?

2. I notice the chute when positioned down will move up from the force of the snow. Is the user supposed to just keep their hand on the chute controller, or am I supposed to tighten the cable?

The reason that I am asking here is that I have no problem taking this thing back. I dont want to make adjustments and then have some lamer tell me I messed somthing up. Thanks for the help! And I'll provide more info if I wasnt clear.

The problems is that sometimes you want it to slip. I was clearing snow around a wood pile and ran into a log that was lying down under the snow. Furtunatly I hit it length wise and it was too big to fit into the auger. In that case you want the blower to start slipping. At the same time I have noticed that mine is starting to slip too much and I'm about to start reasearching a way to refurbish the rubber rim of the friction wheel, I have a hunch that duct tape isn't going to help.

I wonder if a true gear shift snowblower was ever made?