Thanks Leonz for posting this - it both confirms & explains something that I had suspected:
What it confirms is the sizeable gap between the second stage impeller and the housing and it's tendency to cause clogging of the chute and poor performance in wet snow.
What it explains is that the gap is there by design.
I have an old, tracked Cub Cadet. It's a beast and performs well in powder, but if the snowfall's any good for snowmen it stays in the shed and I have to man-up with the shovel for the walkways between the house and the garage and driveway. My back does not like snowmen snow.
My plan had been to weld steel extensions to the second stage impeller blade, as I had assumed that the gap was due to wear from the previous owner's gravel driveway and general abuse of anything he owns with a motor. He's a great guy, fantastic father and all, but he just thrashes his equipment.
Now I'm thinking maybe cut up some old tires and bolt 'em onto the second stage impeller tips. I did a similar deal to my rear blade, sandwiching an old tire tread between the moldboard and the cutting edge to make a squegee for the driveway that works crazy well on asphalt, grass and gravel:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/133717-edge-rear-blade-3.html
Thanks again - this site rocks!
-Jim