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wertach2

Your Opinions? Have safety switches gotten too extreme?

New Husky. Can't back up with blades engaged, unless the switch is in the right position, can't get off of the mower even though the blades aren't engaged.

OK, the back up thing with blades engaged is OK, but sometimes I forget to turn the switch and it kills the motor. Wearing out the starter!

The worst one is getting off of the mower! I have a pull behind DR vacuum, I have to turn the mower off to dump it. I tilt the dump hopper rake some out, get back on, start, pull up a foot or three, shut down, Repeat!

At this rate the starter will be worn out before I get a hundred hours on it!

Comments (33)

  • justalurker
    12 years ago

    You should be able to get of a rider if the parking brake is set, it's not in gear, and the PTO is off.

    You've got a new mower... you'll get used to it.

  • krnuttle
    12 years ago

    I have a push mower that I use as a trim mower. Before I mow I make one trip around the yard, house, trees, and flower beds. Some how the auto shut off got disconnected, and I have not figured out how to reconnect it. Even though it is broke it does not effect the operation of the mower since it is difficult to cut in and around bushes and keep your hands one the handle bar.

    The seat switch on my Tractor was another pain. After cutting for a while I found I would end up in a position in the seat that causes the mower to cut out. When I took it to a mechanic to check out the problem, he forgot to remove the test jumper fot the seat switch. I don't know if this has any thing to do with it but the problem disappeared.

  • briggsgalaxieman
    12 years ago

    IMHO,

    Yes, the SEAT safety switch is too extreme for two reasons.

    1. I only weigh about 130 lbs. The slightest bump in the terrain caused the engine ignition to cutout. This is not good for the engine.

    2. Many of the tasks I use my tractor for require jumping on and off frequently (without the mower deck running). Having to restart every time is a pain and a strain on the starting system.

    For the above reasons, I defeated the seat switch on my Craftsman GT5000, long ago. It is good to idiot proof a tractor with safety devices, but some of the devices were designed by people who never actually USED the tractor. Come to think of it...they were probably designed by lawyers...

  • rcbe
    12 years ago

    BG -
    would think seat sw could be adjusted for lighter weight by modifying engage/disengage dimensions ?....
    Set your park brake before dismounting tractor - engine will continue to run.
    would strongly recommend you re-able that seat sw before trading/selling that tractor or them legal beagles may possibly be howlin yer way should next user have an "accident"...

  • bill_kapaun
    12 years ago

    Ever look in the Yellow Pages under Attorney?
    Ever count them???

  • krnuttle
    12 years ago

    Yes if ever I get hurt by a machine, designed by someone in Washington with safety devices that make it unusable, and I modify it so it can do the function for which it was sold, I am going to sue myself?

    I should be the one suing the designer for selling a piece of equipment that can not properly perform its function.

  • rustyj14
    12 years ago

    How about those nifty gas cans that they foisted off on us last year? Talk about a college boy designing that?? They were designed by somebody who never used or operated a riding lawn mower, lawn tractor, or anything mechanical! All the safety gurus told them was design something where the operator lifts his rump, make it stop completely! That gave them the last laugh: "We finally got 'em, boys! Right where it will drive them mad!"

    Of course, there are folks among us who haven't the slightest inkling of anything dangerous in a lawn mower or tractor. They go sticking their hands and fingers into the works, where hands and fingers shouldn't be inserted, and then blame their stupidity on the folks who designed the machine! I'd think there are lots of rich folks out there, sans fingers or hands and feet, who have gotten rich from being stupid!
    Best way to be safe, is don't mess with the safety stuff! Yeaah, it is a bother. If you do disconnect anything, DO NOT SELL IT TO ANYBODY ELSE!! No use getting sued!

  • wertach zone 7-B SC
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    "If you do disconnect anything, DO NOT SELL IT TO ANYBODY ELSE!!"

    No Problem! I will use it til it dies or I die, which ever comes first! I will put a note on the oil stick, caution safety switch on seat bypassed! If they don't check the oil after I die then it is their fault!

    I haven't really checked it out yet, I tried unplugging, that doesn't work, and it has 3 wires instead of 2 like on the older ones, you could just unplug or jump it out. I get home too late to fool with it, dark and tired. I'll check it out Sat.

  • rcbe
    12 years ago

    sure hope you don't hafta have it worked on during warranty..

  • wertach zone 7-B SC
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    "sure hope you don't hafta have it worked on during warranty.."

    First off warranties are a crock of ....., you know, not worth the paper they are printed on. A couple of jumpers, removed will be undetectable and the jumpers will cause no problem with anything that is warranted. No harm, no foul.

    Sorry, I'm sure that you meant well, but everything that I have had "repaired" under warranty ended up half azz or blamed on something that was not covered!

  • gophermound
    12 years ago

    I have a Scott's rider, well, John Deere for that. It has a little button to press to back up when the blades are engaged. I bypassed that because 1, it's a pain in the you know what, 2, didn't work worth a crap. Easy, pull the connection and run a jumper.

    Seat safety is also a pain, My 10 and 13 year old's also like to mow and use it to haul the wagon and other things I have them use. Like said before, hit a bump and it starts cutting out. Again, bypass...

    The seat safety I guess I can see if the mower tips on a hill, keep the rider safe from turning engine (as if that's a worry), but that is not the problem, it's the blades. Mine has a blade brake that engages when the blades are disengaged, but not when the engine turns off, so why the seat switch? (only thing I can think of is hopefully the belt is tight enough to stop the blades by the drive pulley). Blade brake wore out the first season of cutting so that's something added that is a waste (and adds to the cost). I just can't wrap my brain around some of this.

    I'm with wertach, add jumpers and if you think you can get something done under warranty, just remove the jumpers. Nobody will know, just a little electrical connection to bypass a switch that does not change amps, volts, or resistance.

    Basically, if you stop on a hill and lay downhill in front of your mower, with the blades going, and not have the park brake on, and the mower runs over you.... Well... survival of the non stupid.

  • gdj204
    12 years ago

    The lawyers have defeated Darwin. Welcome to the dawn of Devolution (are far as humans are concerned).

  • tomplum
    12 years ago

    "I only weigh about 130 lbs. The slightest bump in the terrain caused the engine ignition to cutout. This is not good for the engine." A possible solution is to modify the actuator so less pressure is required to activate the switch. Done it before for those "light in the seat". Switch continues to work as designed for light and heavier people on the same tractor. Works on slopes too- which is real important.

  • john125
    12 years ago

    have problem with pto clutch on craftsman dyt4000 18.5 ohv. can't engage pto can this be bypassed. sears wants $600.00 to replace.i guess pto saftey switch is in clutch assembly. clutch works fine blades won't turn manual switch ok. anyone have an answer.

  • Tom6545
    12 years ago

    Safety switches have only gotten to an extreme because stupidity has gotten to an extreme. Total lack of common sense of too many people to actually THINK about what might happen if they do a boneheaded stunt with a piece of power equipment so they have to be protected from themselves.

  • wheely_boy
    12 years ago

    I have personally never done any bonehead thing. I can mow for hours and not have my mind drift for even a second. I am aware of every chipmonk, snake and ant in my path. I removed all of the safety switches from my tractor and made myself a time machine.

  • Shuckapeafarms
    12 years ago

    YES, they got ridiculous with it. My Scotts (John Deere) has one on the seat, one on the clutch/brake, one for reverse, and one on the blade engagement! I have a slight grade away from my house for drainage but when I mow I have to constantly shift my weight to the uphill side or the thing keeps shutting down. As others on here have stated, forgetting about the back-up button is more common than not. I can understand the clutch/brake but automatics don't jump ahead like a standard transmission due to the time required for the pump to push fluid. The blade engagement, maybe...........if someone's dumb enough to be starting the machine while some else is working under the deck! Well, given the sheeple I guess we probably could use for or five more on each machine!

  • rcbe
    12 years ago

    shuck - JD has the sorriest RIO setup on the market. and best study up on typical hydro drive characteristics - they can "jerk" with the best of manuals. they don't work the same as an auto tranny in a car.

    with the sue-happy public out there these days, ain't no wonder the OPE mfgrs are tryin to protect themselves from being deep-pocketed.
    We had one of them dumb operators down here earlier this summer - runnin a zero turn mower with his 3 yr old kid sittin on a little chair perched on the deck. guess whut happened when he went to make a quick turnaround... kid went tumbling and here come thet big deck. dad wus still stoked up on brewskies when the police arrived - kid wus buried.

    I dunno if any "safety" devices outside of one of them electronic code units before start to discourage DUI types would helped that kid - but all one has to do is to drive around the yuppie neighborhoods during a sat afternoon and watch them bozos out there with their shiny riding mowers
    and 2 mebbe 3 toddlers runnin around right close to the machine beggin for rides and attention.

    safety switches are a PITA. So are seat belts, turn signals, ROPS, ad nauseum. Of course, we could always go back to them reel mowers - they wus safe.. (wasn't they?)

  • wheely_boy
    12 years ago

    I take my wife and kids and tie them up in the basement when I mow the lawn. You can't be too careful.

  • wertach zone 7-B SC
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    My wife only goes outside when she is getting in her car to go to work or shopping. She summons me when the outdoor cat wants food. I don't have any kids, grown or otherwise.

    rcbe, Darwinism comes to my mind with your post. The guy that you mentioned should not have had children to start with. I feel for the child, however the safety switches would not have saved him. The drunk was sitting on the mower, all safety switches engaged. You can't fix stupid.

    My Ex-wife used to ride her grandson on the mower, kid wasn't related to me, offspring's from a previous marriage. My insistence on the subject, to stop riding him on the mower, caused a lot of heated arguments. As I said, you can't fix stupid.

    Quote "So are seat belts, turn signals, ROPS,"
    I have always used my seat belts, the first few cars I had didn't have seat belts.... I buckle up, out of habit, when I move a vehicle around the yard. I always use my turn signals, properly, even when no one is within sight, another habit. I have no idea what a ROPS is.......

  • rcbe
    12 years ago

    ROPS - rollover protection system - often found on utility vehicles - another stoopid kind of playtoy, IMHO (in my humble opinion). Right up there with boozin and racing golf carts in the woods with kids on board.

    So, dontcha think the mfgrs should start installing them little black boxes on riding mowers and such so that the drunks can't manage to start up w/o dryin out first?

  • rwng
    12 years ago

    If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. "You can't fix stupid" No matter how many "safety switches", warning labels or other inconveniences they throw at the folks with common sense. Stupid people will always manage to break something or hurt themselves or someone else. This mindset that all accidents can be engineered out of everything, is way over the top.

  • ewalk
    12 years ago

    AMEN !

  • wheely_boy
    12 years ago

    "Stupid people will always manage to break something or hurt themselves or someone else."
    For every moron out there that rides around with their baby on their lap there are plenty of smart people that occasionally make mistakes. Personally I sometimes let my mind wander and maybe that label or that lever I pull is enough to keep my brain on track. Maybe I should have one of you perfect people that never make a mistake operate my OPE to save me and my family from my imperfect self. Go ahead and take off the switches, levers and labels and let all the stupid people chop themselves up so they don't polute your perfect gene pool.

  • LOGIC1
    11 years ago

    Some people never left Mommy. Next they'll put a yellow push button on the dash, before we can back our cars up. This is a preference between you and the machine you paid for. If you need Mommy to help you back up, don't have enough common sense to look behind you, and want to complain and interfear with us that do want to override Mommy Engineering, please do not get behind the wheel of a car, truck, bus, or anything near people or property. When someone asks how to bypass a RIO, they are not asking for a childish opinion, they are asking for an answer to the question. Wow - disturbing.

  • RadioSam
    11 years ago

    I installed a rear view camera on the back of my JD GX345 and have a 10 inch flat panel display on the dash combined with my GPS to protect me from running over the "endangered" short hair turtles that are indigenous to the Piedmont area here in Virginia while backing up. It also helps when I am near a cliff so I don't hurt myself should I back up too far. It is kinds of a waste because I don't need the GPS unless I go to help my elderly neighbor mow his grass.
    Do you think they (manufacturers) will begin to install them in the upcoming 2013 lawn tractors?

  • RadioSam
    11 years ago

    I installed a rear view camera on the back of my JD GX345 and have a 10 inch flat panel display on the dash combined with my GPS to protect me from running over the "endangered" short hair turtles that are indigenous to the Piedmont area here in Virginia while backing up. It also helps when I am near a cliff so I don't hurt myself should I back up too far. It is kinds of a waste because I don't need the GPS unless I go to help my elderly neighbor mow his grass.
    Do you think they (manufacturers) will begin to install them in the upcoming 2013 lawn tractors?

  • tomplum
    11 years ago

    "Do you think they (manufacturers) will begin to install them in the upcoming 2013 lawn tractors?" Not until 2015. They are still trying to figure out the monthly satellite subscription and software. Plus they have no way to monitor the tractor if the user unhooks the battery and the internal battery is only good for like 2 weeks in below freezing temps. You will be happy to know that the 2018 airbag standard is nearly trouble free in implementation, except for steering wheel shattering in sub zero temps.

  • mownie
    11 years ago

    This is the model the industry is basing their future intentions around.
    {{gwi:331376}}

  • grass1950
    11 years ago

    Do not underestimate the supidity of homo sapiens.
    Common law gave the legitimately (and lazy) poor and infirmed (imagine that included the stupid) the right to enter a field and to eat their fill but to carry nothing out. History doesn't record what happened when the "lazy and stupid" overwhelmed the fields. I imagine that question will be answered in America within the next hundred yesrs or so.

  • donc1966
    11 years ago

    Buy a classic tractor and restore it. I have a 1965 Cub Cadet 100. The only "safety" feature is the clutch / brake pedal needs to be fully depressed to start it. Once it's running, if you fall off, the tractor doesn't stop until it hits something substantial!

    (This is not my regular mowing tractor, I have a Simplicity Conquest with all safety features intact)

  • wertach zone 7-B SC
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Is there a history of safety switches failing on Husky's?

    It hasn't sat outside more than a few hours and has never been rained on since I bought it. I keep it in an enclosed garage. I'm sure it got some rain before I bought it.

    I just disabled the last safety switch on it this last weekend. They have all failed and would have had to been replaced, so I jumped them out.

    If you never see anymore posts from me you will know that OSHA has hauled me away or sent a hit man! LOL

  • krnuttle
    11 years ago

    Have you not heard, the obama administration is not sending people out for their hits, they are sending an armed drone instead. Its much more efficient. They can shoot you in the back and you can not escape because you don't see them coming.

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