Yea, mine felt the same way. It felt like it was hanging up on the plastic guide piece. I thought about trying to adjust it but it got easier so I just left it.
I bought a 3039r hydro and did not like it at all.
I farm wine grapes with my tractor and the hydro was not ideal for my application. So, I ended up getting a 3039r power reverser instead. I am very happy with the tractor and the power reverser. The duel pedals are neat, but I can flip the lever to reverse just as easy. All of the speed match, power match, etc. were features that I do not need.
In my area there are a lot of vineyards that run these compact tractors and they are all power reversers.