[american spirit]

i used my ariens 824E 8HP snowblower for the first time last week. i noticed that the first storm, it launched the snow out of the chute. the next storm the snow didn't throw it as far. there was nothing blocking the chute. does this usually happen if the snow if more wet? a neighbor told me my snowblower sounded rough and to check my clutch cable to see if it was tight. but i didn't know what that was. any tips from veteran snowblower people.