Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Snowblower not throwing, friction disc, grease fittings

Question
I've got a ~20 year old 7 horse Craftsman 2 stage blower starts on the 1st pull.  I'll engage it, and when it hits a load, it stops throwing, but the engine seems to be running fine.  Do I need to tighten belts?  How do I do it?  Also, after using for a while it occasionally will be tough to get into gear (it shifts okay, but doesn't engage).  Is this also a result of loose belts?  Thanks in advance!

Answer
It sounds like you may need to adjust the belt tension.  There are two adjustments.  The coarse adjustment is on the idler pulley itself under the belt cover.  The fine adjustment is usually on the cable or linkage from the engagement handle.  Getting it into gear being difficult usually indicates the friction disc drive shaft is lacking grease.  You can remove the bottom 'pan' on the snowblower and grease the assembly (there are grease fittings on all of the important points).  Hope this helps.