Gents,
I have this mower and have the same symptoms...the reverse is "designed" to make you pull it...supposedly it won't back over you...from day one I could never make it back up a hill, kinda did a half moon and used forward to go back up any hills...
and it indeed freewheels down hill...I bought this 10+ years ago but it was another 25% to get a tranny that was direct drive/ didn't free wheel...I am presently mulching oak leaves in the back yard, steep hill and mine has begun to seem like more a push mower than a walk behind! ...dust/ dirt on the DRIVE belts I suppose...
Check with your dealer, mine explained the freewheel and the back up part as cons to the Metro, with a much smaller price than the Hydro trannys being the pro.......
bob
