Just little Dab will Do Ya!
This indeed was just a linkage lubrication issue. Though it was not easy to get to.
I had to pull the seat/fenders assembly and ended up having to drill out most of the slotted screws in the foot plates in the process.
Once removed, I could see, for the lack of a better term, a slotted cam in the mechanism. A little bit of oil here helped, but not completely.
As I looked further inside, I could a similar connection almost out of sight. With an extended oiling can, I was able to get some oil into it and then the majic happened. It immediately freed up. The lever now moves completely freely through forward and reverse directions! A test drive confirmed the same when under load.
As this is a "metal on metal" linkage which is very difficult to get to, I'm trying to figure out the best lubrication strategy going forward. I guess just some plain old grease is about the best I can do. It will pick up dirt/grime over time, but at least now I know where to look if this gets probelmatic in the future.
( I can't seem to get the attached image rotated in the proper direction. What appears to be "up" in the image should be to the right.")
Thanks again for all your help! It's great to see this tractor coming back to life.
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