LL hearth stoker jam

Guys,
Been running my new hearth for one week. Heard a loud pop and noticed the stoker wouldn't move anymore. Couldn't move the slider myself. Had to take the stove down, remove hopper and free the slider. I don't expect this to be problem free. But only one week of operation and a breakdown? Is this just bad luck or should I expect this? Is there some easier way to clear the slider?
Thanks,
Speerstra.

What made it jam?
Was there something in it or is the shovel under sized and cocking sideways in the grate?

edit: Are ther any rough spots or does the back of the shovel drop down over the back edge of the grate? Mine had a slight edge where it caught on the back of the grate a little so I filed it smooth. I don't think mine would have ever jammed up but I made it smooth as silk along its entire slide path.

It was stuck solid. Not sure what caused the jam. I freed it up and couldn't tell the source. Seemed like there were alot of fines under it which I tried to clean out. Next time I will pull it and see if there are any rough spots or if it is stuck on the grate

Check out my post Pioneer Stoker Jam, I had the pop too. Turns out, a small piece under the stoker plate jammed it up.
I moved the plate manually and it worked, but with crunchy sound. Pulled stoker motor and pulled plate, cleaned track
installed, perfect. I did not have to shut it down, but I had the room to work.

I heard the crunchy sound too. Motor was tight against the jammed plate so I couldn't clear it. I will try pulling the motor next time.

Rice coal with a lot of fines or small size pieces will cause this with any bed type stoker.. Use a good vacuum w/hose attachment once a week and vacuum a well as you can.. once in a while let the hopper burn way down and vacuum out the bottom of the hopper. The fines settle down through the coal and collect at the bottom.

Some brands of coal have smaller pieces and/or more fines than others..

Greg L