I am looking at buying a self propelled lawnmower and was a store today and the clerk said that is hard on the mower when you pull it back. So if I cut forward into a tight area I would need to pull it back also. He showed my on a model he had, don't recall the brand, and there was resistance felt and what felt like a gear click. I went to Sears and ask this question and they had not heard of that being a problem. Once the drive lever is released there didn't appear to be any resistance.
Is there merrit in the first clerks comment about the reverse thing?
Brian