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

I bought a 2 stage Craftsman snowblower from a friend of my wife's for $200.  It seemed to work well last year  and the year before for the most part.  This year though, clearing snow has been an adventure.  This machine's engine bogs down going through as little as 4 inches of somewhat heavy snow and doesn't throw the snow more than 8-10' and doesn't clear the mounds of snow collected at the edges of the driveway with the chute extended all the way up.  It is a self propelled model and I couldn't even run it in the slowest gear more than 6" at a time for fear of it dying on me.  The chute clogs easily because of this, although today once I cleared it, it stayed clear.  I seriously think I could have shoveled my driveway faster than what it took using a machine.  Can anyone tell me what is wrong?

Oil gas mix would just cause some smoke, It might also foul up the plug. Pull it and have a look, if its all black and dirty replace it or clean and regap it.

If you can't put the throttle in the "fast" position then it sounds like a carburetor problem. It might be time to take it in for service unless you want to learn the fine art of small engine servicing.