Honda HRX217VKA rough movement going backwards

Hello. I just purchased a Honda HRX217VKA mower. I got it home and followed the directions for setting it up. Before putting in oil or gas I pushed the mower forward and pulled it back. When pulling it back I noticed there was a lot of resistance and what I can only think to describe as a grinding sound. But it was definitely significantly more difficult to pull the mower backwards than it was to push it forwards. I have not had to mow a yard in a few years, however this is not something that I expected. A family member purchased this same mower a year ago and said that theirs rolled backwards pretty much as easily as forwards. I took it back to the store and was going to exchange it, but I had them take the new one out of the box before leaving and the new one acted pretty much the same way if not a little bit worse. Does anyone have any experience with this mower or have any idea if this is normal operation for it?

Thanks,
Nate