I have a 8hp, 27" Craftsman snowblower. In the recent snowstorm, we had about 8" of relatively dry, loose snow. Normally that is ideal, but this time it just sort of packed up in the blower. The blades appeared to be turning.

I assume that this is a 2 stage snow blower... make sure the augers are turning as well as the blade inside where the snow comes out of the chute.

I assume that this is a 2 stage snow blower....make sure the augers are turning as well as the blade inside where the snow comes out of the chute.

Yes, 2-stage. Ace technician (30-yr-old son) says the auger was turning, just not throwing snow. Thanks for your help!

There is an auger and an impeller on a 2 stage. The auger is the blade(s) that you see in front that pulls the snow in. The impeller is the blade inside that is responsible for throwing the snow out. On most snow blowers I have seen, they work independently of each other... meaning that if the belt (or whatever drives it) on the impeller breaks, the augers will still turn but it will only pack snow and not throw it out of the chute. That's about the only thing that will prevent the snow from coming out.

I am assuming that this is a newer style machine, if your auggers are pulling snow in but it will not throw, check the blower fan. It usually has one or two roll pins going through the fan into the shaft that drives the augger gear box. If the roll pins in the fan are broken the augger will still drive but any weight on the fan will prohibit it from throwing. Also another thought, some of the new snow blowers have a plastic fan and the plastic could be broken where it connects to the roll pins.