The "stops" you speak of are supposed to prevent tragedy and to minimize injuries. They are there because the Govt. says they must be there and they keep the manufacturer out of court. People used to lose entire arms in snow blowers.
You should still shut down the engine before going near the auger or tines.
The moving parts do not always stop instantly. And in some cases they will continue to move when unloaded due to some drag cause by clutches that are not completely disengaged. These things can and do go out of adjustment and people don't tend to get them "fixed" because the machine still works just fine.
They are NOT kidding when they say turn the engine off before reaching in. I always shut it down. It is easy enough to restart- if your snow blower won't restart on the first pull then get it fixed.
If you can hear the engine, don't reach in. Period.
“If you can hear the engine, don’t reach in. Period.”
Great advice. I’ll try to remember this story when mowing the lawn next year. I leave the engine on idle with the blade stopped to change the bag, and reach in to clear out big clumps. It’s pretty obvious with the extreme change in noise level that the blades aren’t spinning - but you never know what safeguard might fail.