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Hello

I have a Yard Machines Model# 3AF608G062.

The Symptoms

The unit has extreme difficulty going from forward/Neutral/ Reverse.
Specially if the mower is at an incline/ decline it's almost impossible to get it out of Forward or Reverse.

I also turn down the throttle completely when trying to move from Forward to reverse or back words.

This is more pronounced when the mower has been used for a little while.

Also when this is happening, the brake lever does not want to stop the mower.

Any ideas as to what might be going on?
I replaced all the belts last year. Not sure if they were OEM belts but it got fresh ones.

Try shifting from forward, neutral, and reverse, with the mower not running, and see if it shifts. could be the clutch is not disenaging completely causing you to shift with a load on the fears.

You likely correctly responded to your own question.....

MTD has designed that their belts are the only way to go....

I appreciate the responses.

Yes it will go forward, neutral and reverse without an issue without the engine running.

I also ordered all new belts for it. OEM MTD. I will respond after I replace them at some point end of this week.

Thanks again

Today I replaced all the belts with OEM MTD. Problem is fixed. Lesson learned.

Yes, they make the actually bevels on the face of the belts special, so you need to go with their belts, and they have a copyright
for several years. Which is the same reason that the aftermarket blades have a different shaped mounting hole, for the same
reasons. The big aftermarket companies make a fine workable belt for each application, but generic belts will not work...

I don't mind spending the money on the MTD drive belts. They last long enough to justify the cost.

I have been having the same issue. I replaced the belts with OEM MTD belts. However being the smart guy that I am I put the belt on the wrong side of a guide and now have a scarred belt along the entire inside circumference. Also the pulley is getting hot after running it for just a couple minutes. Do you think the scarred belt could be causing the transmission to not shift while running? While it is stopped it is not having any issues shifting.

Not to resurrect an old thread, but I learned this lesson this week quite by accident.
I have owned my Huskee 14AR808K731 for 2 years.
When I got it it was pitifully slow, needing a new drive belt.
I installed an aftermarket belt, and could hardly get the shifter out of reverse no matter how much I backed off on the engagement adjustment.
As part of my routine winter maintenance, I replaced both drive belts with new OEM belts.
Now it shifts easily and is a bit faster as well!
I went back to MTD belts in an effort to increase longevity, since changing them is a bit of a pain.
As said by the OP, Lesson Learned!

I could not get the drive pulley to drop down to clear the belt keepers, and had to remove the engine during the first belt replacement.
Even tho I installed a new pulley using never-seize at that time, the pulley wouldn't budge this time.
So, I removed the engine mounting bolts and rocked the engine to remove/install the belt.
Another reason to hope this belt lasts longer...........

This is a very good post to review. Use OEM belts. As a repair shop I never use aftermarket belts. I have learned this many years ago the hard way.