Craftsman Rider 247-203700 wont move in some of the gears

Well -- Here we go again. This is a Rebranded MTD Troybilt Pony. It wont move in some of the gears. This is an MTD unit with the variable speed pulley. Both pulleys at the transmission are turning and it appears that the variable speed pulley is moving up and down. With clutch pushed in, I put it in the highest gear with engine not running, next I let clutch out. This supposedly reset the variable speed pulley. I then started the engine and the tractor moved in all the gears however the highest gear seemed slow. Also, Clutch/brake acting funny in that it was angled way too far back towards the back of the tractor before I started the engine and put the tractor in gear. Is this normal ?? This is one of those 7 speed shift on the fly units. How can I correct this permanently.

Unit has all the original belts and they look OK.

 

How old it it?
If it's older start by changing the belt.
While the belts off sand the pulleys with 60 grit sandpaper.

 

How old it it?
If it's older start by changing the belt.
While the belts off sand the pulleys with 60 grit sandpaper.

 

With the pedal coming back too far, this tells me a belt is off somewhere or really thin. The pedal comes back until the belt gets tight. If it keeps coming further back, the belt is not getting tight, so either it's off a pulley or a pulley has fallen off or the belt is worn thinner than it should be.