When the pedals move forward, the cam action on the pedal moves it lateraly to push or pull the associated band tight to the applicable drum. The band that gets used the most is the one that changes the forward gears. It's otherwise called the clutch because it also puts the transmission in neutral when centered with the control lever centered. The control lever and clutch pedal are syncronized to allow a person to take their foot off the pedal in neutral and high gear. The brake pedal also gets a good bit of use so it likely wears faster since it acts as a transmission brake.
As was mentioned previously, with a lot of wear on the band, the pedal has to push the band farther and farther to get it to lock the drum. This requires adjustment maintenance with a frequency depending on how much the vehicle is used. Once it is adjusted too much due to excessive band wear, this type of thing happens. Pull the band access cover off and check it now and then and especially when you can tell it takes too much pedal to get good gear change action.
Changing band linings is a process that requires a fair amount of disassembly but there is no choice when the lining is worn out. The modern band materials last longer so it's well worth changing them all when the oportunity comes up. A person can see the.gaps between the tips of each band. If the gaps are too close together then that indicates a lot of wear.