Studying my new/used shifter I "think" I may have found out what's wrong with 1st to 2nd. There's a plastic on the shifter that may be broken and letting the stick go to far to the left. One pic shows a metal ramp that the plastic part rides up on when shifting to reverse gear. Otherwise going from 1sr to 2nd the plastic part rides next to the metal ramp. If that plastic part has broken that would give me the problem I'm having.
Top pic is 1st gear. Middle pic is reverse. last pic is 2nd gear. Maybe the metal guide is loose or out of adjustment thus needing the Miller tool 9120. Also the reverse cable may be out of adjustment.



Notice the plastic shifter part is on top of the metal guide for reverse. That's why you have to "
lift" the shifter to go into reverse.


Notice for 2nd gear the plastic part rides next to the metal ramp.