Safety devices

john in la · Aug 28, 2010

Was cutting grass with my new riding mower. The more I cut the more aggravating it got dealing with all the safety devices.
You lean over to cut close to a tree or pick up something off the ground like a dog toy or fallen branch and the engine starts to kill.
You have to push this button every time you back up or the blades cut off.
One big pain in the rear after another if you ask me.

Then on the other hand you hear about people being killed by PTO shafts; hay balers and spinning brush cutter or mower blades.

Kind of hard to find that sweet spot for every situation on how much safety is to much. Especially since most people that would fall off a mower and get run over would want to sue the mower manufacture.
I guess I am the kind of guy that likes guards to prevent you from putting your fingers in the wrong spot but this engine killing stuff every time you get off the seat is just to much.

Your Thoughts

greenbeanman in Kansas · Aug 28, 2010

Since I'm the only one that operates my equipment I'm willing to wire around mower safety devices, especially the on seat one and the reverse one.

I also have a wire tie that I slide over the safety bar of a push mower to keep it running. I only use it when emptying a catch bag----which mine does not have. I mulch mow instead.

Tractor safety devices remain operational and I would never think of disconnecting or disabling them.

MSM · Aug 28, 2010

All that crap is on there to protect the steering wheel holder from themselves. Most consumers nowadays have the common sense and mechanical aptitude of a donut hole, and their first thought when they screw up, and back over the kid they let play in the yard while they are mowing is which lawyer to call to sue the manufacturer. So now everything is layered with "protect the idiots from themselves" technology,And it gets worse every year.

old · Aug 28, 2010

Yep that safety stuff was put on because common sense no longer is found between peoples hears so they have to build it into equipment any more. Back many years ago you almost never heard of a guy getting hung up in a PTO shaft or other such thing but now days it seems to happen a lot all because a person does not think before he does and that is common sense or the lack there of

MN Scott · Aug 28, 2010

About 15 minutes, some wire and a few crimp on connectors and those idiot preventer devices are bypassed.

Gun guru · Aug 28, 2010

I agree that some of it is crap.

But stuff like Roll bars on Utility tractors are
a good thing. The load cell under your seat is to prevent a moron from sticking his hand under the mower deck while the blades are spinning. A button for backing up.....Never heard of that before.

As far as safety goes, We have a hi-lo at where I work. Driving it isnt brain surgery but.....A mid 20's punk likes to drive it fast in the shop. (real Dumb) All he needs is to hit a support beam and oops.

showcrop · Aug 28, 2010

I think that the main reason that we didn't hear of it was because we didn't have TV or computer news wire service.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 28, 2010

It's mostly protection for the manufacturer from lawsuits.
A guy mowing his lawn with a small push power mower thought it would be a good idea to pick it up, hold it side ways and trim his hedge. When he reached down and grabbed the rim of the mower deck all his fingers were promptly cut off. He sued the manufacturer for not specificly stating this was not to be done and won.

muleboss · Aug 28, 2010

(quoted from post at 13:40:25 08/28/10) Yep that safety stuff was put on because common sense no longer is found between peoples hears so they have to build it into equipment any more. Back many years ago you almost never heard of a guy getting hung up in a PTO shaft or other such thing but now days it seems to happen a lot all because a person does not think before he does and that is common sense or the lack there of

It happened back then. Just the news media and lawers did not broadcast it as much.

Stuart · Aug 28, 2010

It happened just as often back then, but was not broadcasted on TV like it is today. Back then you had to get on a tractor from the rear, which made it dangerous because if you got off when the PTO was running you were more likely to get caught in it.

Phil in Pa · Aug 28, 2010

It's ridiculous in many cases.

Remember the chain saw bar tip guards in the 80's?

At least the mechanically inclined can disconnect what they wish. My zero turn had the seat kill switch and the reverse kill and parking brake kill.
I tolerated that for about 2 mowings.

26Red · Aug 28, 2010

you want to know why? People are sue happy. Every safety device you see on your lawn mower is the result of a lawsuit against a lawn mower manufacturer. Most of the safety devices are reasonable, but some are over the top.

Cockshutt Mike · Aug 28, 2010

It's like safety stickers.......don't operate hair dryer in shower sort of deal.....coffee is hot etc. So many people after a company to pay because of themselves not paying attention or just being flat out stupid about something. I had a new MTD riding mower and if you started to back up without turning blades off the engine would quit along with many other safety features. I made some changes that was a safety feature for myself. If I didn't change a few things i'm sure i would have hurt myself when i ended up taking that thing apart with my bare hands.(LOL) Don't get me wrong, I do feel safety guards, switches etc are very important and can save a life and or prevent a bad injury but because of some people companies have gone over board at times.

MarkB_MI · Aug 28, 2010

For every safety device, there are multiple accidents that led to the device. Whether or not stupidity was a factor in many of these accidents is besides the point. No manufacturer ever put a safety device on a product just because they thought it "might" be needed.

RBnSC · Aug 28, 2010

My old snapper doesn't have many safety features but I sure wish it had had rock guard a few minutes ago to protect the back glass in my Blazer. What a mess.
Ron

Billy NY · Aug 28, 2010

With that JD, you have to turn off the mower and set the parking brake if you want to get off while it is running, which I am sure you already know by now.

I find that pressure switch under the seat, highly annoying on side hills, well these are designed for flat-landers, but if my 135 had wheel weights it would be fine. I have to lean and slide over a bit when on the side hills, to keep traction, but that switch is sensitive, so you have to put your hand under your behind to keep pressure on it, works fine that way.

The backing up part, you'll get used to that eventually.

I have been tempted to bypass that seat switch, but, altering a safety device is just wrong, you just need to put a hand there, about the only way around it.

This 135's rear axle wheel spacing is wider, so are the tires compared to previous models, not bad on the hills but if you are going downward and have to turn, ( I have a place where I mow like that ) it will teeter and or tip pretty close to going over, that is when you want that safety device to work. I changed the way I cut that area to avoid this. I realize you have a 300 X series, but they operate similar to one another.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 28, 2010

The first time they became a problem/hassle I would wire around them, particularly the reverse gear kicking out the mower blade. Previous owner wired out the seat switch on my JD 945 which deactivates the blades not the engine. That one wouldn't have been such a hassle, but still not going to rewire the bypassed switch.

greygoat · Aug 28, 2010

That deal to stop the blade when I shifted
into reverse was rewired 15 minutes after I got
the new mower.

Crem · Aug 28, 2010

Those safety switches reminds me of a safety switch on the seat of a cushman three wheel scooter. For maintenance we used the old orange scooters to carry our tools and go between plants. They bought a new yellow scooter and of course our foreman got that one. I happened to see him as he drove up to a personnel door that we always went through to get in that building. He came up to the door and stood up to reach to open the door but couldn't make the scooter move because the seat wasn't down. He sat down but then couldn't reach the door. He tried about three times and then pushed it through the door. It wasn't long and that switch was disabled.

John S-B · Aug 28, 2010

I have an EX-Mark ZTR, I had to get used to having the park brake on to start it. I don't have to do anything to go in reverse. To pick things up, just carry one of those grabbers like people in wheelchairs use.

guido · Aug 28, 2010

Hello John in LA,
The best safety device is a CAREFUL MAN!
Guido.

kruser · Aug 28, 2010

Makes sense to me - and keeps me alive!

Our JD compact shuts PTO down automatically when no pressure on seat. Can push on seat and use the hydro controls to hook up equipment. Course I very rarely run the ROPS.

My $0.02

paul · Aug 28, 2010

How does one run a grain auger that way? Would be about the silliest thing I've ever heard of.

--->Paul

old · Aug 28, 2010

Well funny then. The town I live in in NE my dad was the one of 3 preacher in that town and my next door neighbor owned the one and only tractor dealer ship in that town and we had few if any people killed when I lived there form stupid tractor/equipment mistakes so how is it that I'm wrong on this. But then it seems like every time you can you hit on me but you know I have yet to see you try to help some one on here Grow up kid yes I said kid I have children older then you and they know how to respect there elders so you should learn to do so your self

Stuart · Aug 28, 2010

After they made tractors that were mounted from the front, the deaths went down. My Dad will even say that and he is alot older than you are. Second, How many tractors did this man you talk about sell? How many deaths/ injuries? I respect people who work harder than I do, and people that make a difference. Plus I have had 3 friends killed in tractor accidents because of design flaws,not lack of common senseA little while ago you were caught not being truthful about the weight of a bale that your baler made. I can tell you that I have owned and operated more equipment than you have and newer equipment. I am a full time farmer, not some fantasy farmer or landowner. Between me an and My Dad I think we know a quite a bit of history of tractor accidents. Because there are alot less farmers than there used to be, accidents than there use to be.By the way, you dont free up an engine by using the starter, you turn it backwards so you dont push the rings past the corrosion. Then if bad enough, you pull the head and hone it. or replace what needs it. Just because your older doesnt mean your smarter or wiser. Plus I dont live off the government and still hobby farm. get over yourself.
PS. All of my tractos sit in a shed, not a fence row. I dont have problems with engines getting seized up. Im done.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 29, 2010

I'm sure there have been safety devices put on some machines just in case a really dense person were to use the machine. What's worse is when someone disconnects a safety device and then gets injured or killed because of it. Dave

buickanddeere · Aug 29, 2010

Worse yet. What were operator's doing in the past getting them selves and others maimed or crippled? That made some of these safety devices a "requirement"?
Most folk should know to look behind when backing up and keep the kids indoors. However after several hundred operators backed over kids running behind lawn tractors. What are you going to do?
My youngest is as dumb as a box of rocks and insisted on following the lawn tractor. And trying to climb on. Until about three good *ss beatings then he got with the program.

john in la · Aug 29, 2010

[i:654c4848f0]Until about three good *ss beatings then he got with the program.[/i:654c4848f0]

All those people that need the blades cuts off in reverse got time outs as kids and treat their kids the same. Worse part is they blame problems they have now on the mower manufacture rather than calling their self idiots.

Safety devices

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