Well, the video is right on the money. The bushings have a pretty tight tolerance and once the shaft starts to rust in this area it doesn’t take long before the wheels will slide when you pull it backwards. Like I said before; Honda built a very high quality, zero-thrust transmission for this mower that normally has some resistance to turning all by itself. Add some debris to the shaft bushing and maybe a little dirt & grime to the wheel cog gears and the wheels will lock up when you pull it backwards.
In my work life (now retired) I worked with engineers every day so I like to dig into things to see how they are designed and function, even a silly lawn mower. For an average home owner that is not mechanically inclined owning an HRR that has developed this problem could be rather frustrating since Honda doesn’t specifically mention this type of maintenance. Cleaning the drive cogs so the wheels move freely is only 1/2 the maintenance. Flipping the mower on it’s side and spraying penetrating oil or lubricant in the bushing area will get you by but once the seals fail (like in my case) you will need to go in and get the bushing and seals replaced.
In my work life (now retired) I worked with engineers every day so I like to dig into things to see how they are designed and function, even a silly lawn mower. For an average home owner that is not mechanically inclined owning an HRR that has developed this problem could be rather frustrating since Honda doesn’t specifically mention this type of maintenance. Cleaning the drive cogs so the wheels move freely is only 1/2 the maintenance. Flipping the mower on it’s side and spraying penetrating oil or lubricant in the bushing area will get you by but once the seals fail (like in my case) you will need to go in and get the bushing and seals replaced.