I agree with Bay . Sounds more like a Belt or Friction Disc Slippage . Also if the shear pin within the drive shaft is broken this may also occurr .

Hi Kathy..I bought a new Ariens 926 LE last year. I live in Northen Ontario where we get lots of snow and we've had a couple of blizzards this year that were real doozies. My blower works great except it doesn't want to start when it gets cold (> 0 far). I bought it from a local dealer who gives me great service in that he comes to pick it up as soon as I call him and has it back by the afternoon. The first time he said it was bad gas. The second time he said the spark plug was loose and I was getting no compression. The third time he said you have to prime it til the gas is pouring out. He said this is because of the strict emission standards put on it. Does it get below zero where you are and if it does, does your machine start OK? Thanks

Redcurls, I'm half way between Sandusky and Cleveland. Mt. Gilead area (Mansfield area) was bad also. I-71 was closed one way, can't remember which, due to accidents yesterday for a while. The sun is shining this morning.

Charlotte airport is a much better option than Atlanta but it is rather a mess there now - tons of construction so just be prepared, or tell your friends who will be flying to be prepared for circuitous walking through the terminals. However you are less than half the time to the Asheville airport and it's super easy to navigate - but much depends on where they're flying from. Direct routes are limited and having to change planes is a pain if it can be avoided. Driving conditions will totally be of the moment and very location dependent, higher elevations will likely have snow/ice. Sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway will be shut down so make sure you check for real time closures before heading out for what you think will be a scenic drive. https://www.nps.gov/maps/full.html?mapId=e212fcb5-4ff9-4787-bbe4-3d40cc0d0daa#8/36.156/-80.865 You don't mention the dates of your trip or what your interests are for the trip so hard to know if Burnsville is a good home base or not. The art museum in Asheville just reopened after a long closure - I'm hoping to get there later this week. https://www.ashevilleart.org/ Probably the best source for what to do in Asheville is Romantic Asheville - don't let the name fool you. https://www.romanticasheville.com/ I was in Little Switzerland fall of 2018 and it's pretty but nothing noteworthy IMO. Look into Blowing Rock and Banner Elk. Any interest in railroad trips? There's Great Smokey Mtn Railroad https://www.gsmr.com/ North Carolina's state theater is Flat Rock Playhouse https://flatrockplayhouse.org/ and the Carl Sandburg Home is right across the street. https://www.nps.gov/carl/index.htm