Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - new craftsman 9hp snow thrower...no propulsion?

Just got this unit and went to use it for the first time and it worked great except for one thing. The unit has 2 reverse gears and 6 forward gears. The 2 reverse gears worked, but putting it into the 1st forward gear actually drove the wheels backwards. All of the other forward gears seemed to work fine. I shut it down and looked around to see if there was anything obvious causing the issue. DIdndt see anything so I started it up to try again......now it BARELY has any propulsion at all. 1st time I tried it had plenty of power, now the wheels just wont move on their own in any gear (if I lift the rear end you can see the wheels moving, just not enough power to move on its own) any ideas?

If this has just been recently purchased from Sears, you ought to be able to take it the authorized Sears service dealer, or call the dealer for help. It should be under warranty.
thanks,

It was an xmas gift that was bought back in August and just given to me so it has been sitting in an unopen box, but now the 30 warrantry is up :(

The warranty should still be good. I mean who gets snow in August? Your problem is the shift linkage needs to be adjusted.

They said the 30 day warranty covers all parts and that is up, my only option now is to pay $90 for a home service and if it is found to be "defective" I will not have to pay but it if just need adjustment I will have to pay $90

If you take the plastic cover off the top of the engine in front, just behind the chute, you'll see the two belts. The large aluminum wheel in the rear drives the unit when you depress the handle to put the machine into gear. Behind that wheel and perpendicular to it is a black rubber wheel that comes into contact with the aluminum wheel to drive the machine. Where on the aluminum wheel this rubber wheel makes contact, determines what gear you are in. For instance, if you are in first gear, the rubber meets the wheel near the middle on one side. In reverse, it meets on the other side of center. In top gear, the rubber meets the wheel more toward the outside edge of the wheel, where it moves faster. If you are in first, but the machine still goes backward, then the wheels are misaligned, and the rubber is meeting the aluminum on the wrong side of center. I just went through a similar problem, but my machine wouldn't drive at all. It would throw snow, and the engine would run, but no drive. It turned out there was a bolt in there that was sheared off. My next door neighbor found it and fixed the problem in about 5 minutes.
Get the machine up on saw horses and remove that cover. Depress the two handles and see what happens. Then remove the bottom plate behind the machine to get a look-see. Follow the train of force created by the shafts and wheels and check for misaligned or disconnected components or missing parts. You may discover the source of the misalignment. Good luck!