As ILENGINE said bad belt. You can check this out by just removing the two screws that hold the belt cover on. Just finish with a Ariens in my shop with the same problem. Now the reason the belt was broken in the one I repaired was the bearing that turns the blower was shot and the belt didn't run true. You might want to check this bearing out or the belt can go bad again along with the pulley and bearing housings. You should also check the two idler pulleys seeing you will have it apart at this point.
