Ariens sno thrower issues

I bought a brand new Ariens sno thro last year and have had problems with the chute since purchase. The chute does not stay in place when snow is ejected through it. I can not move the chute lever control either to control the direction of snow and the chute just seems to move freely on its own. I took apart the gear box and thought I had "reset" the direction but it has made no difference. Looking for any suggestions.

My second problem is that after the last storm, the snow blower appears to be locked in gear. Start it up and it starts moving on its own without the clutch being engaged. Any ideas? I have the manual from Ariens but it is so poorly designed that it very difficult to remedy any problem.

I don't know about the chute problem but you can adjust the clutch tension with an adjustment screw on the lower left rear corner of the tractor. Just a few turns (2-3) should loosen the clutch tension and keep it from moving on it's own. Hope that helps.