John Deere lawnmower safety switch

[hypernova]

You know what I'm talking about...the idiot-proof switch that ensures if you fall off or tip over, the mower won't keep going by itself.  When our Crapsman still worked, all I had to do was tighten down the plate with the bolts to activate the switch and keep it pressed, since it faced down.

On my Deere however, the switch faces up, and is activated through the seat.  But obviously, that's not the problem.  The problem is the fact that from what I saw, it should be a simple job of shorting two separate connections.  But when I do that, after starting it, as soon as I let off the brake, it shuts off and blinks service lights.  (I just remove the shorts, and it's fine.)  I can't just plain unplug it either.  Shuts off when put into gear.  So here's what the cord connector looks like:

|      |      |      |
|      |      |      |
bk   bk    wh/   wh 
              bk

So we have two blacks, one white, and one half white/half black.  The outside black doubles around to the inside black.  Which means they're both ground, correct?  Now the inside of the switch mechanism makes it look like the two outside connectors make a closed circuit while the two inside connectors form a closed circuit when the switch is pressed.  Yet when I short these two connections together, it does as I previously said.  Am I missing something here?  The two connectors on the right need to be grounded to the ones on the left, and it doesn't matter which ground, because it's the same ground source.  What's going on?

[shardian]

Hows about you don't go bypassing the safety switch? It's there for a reason!

[hypernova]

Hows about you don't go bypassing the safety switch? It's there for a reason!

Well, I expected that sort of post at some point, but not from you, shardian!

TVs have cases, but we all go taking them off, and some of us are even crazy enough to attempt discharging them.

I'll try your suggestion pbj, but I could swear the thing closed both, but that obviously wasn't working, so I must've been misreading something.

[shardian]

Well, I've known several people who have rolled riding lawnmowers. My neighbor rolled his 2 weeks ago. If it weren't for that kill switch, he could have been...well... have you seen the ending to Dead Alive?

And the TV discharging comparison isn't quite correct. Working on a chassis without discharging is a better comparison with riding a lawnmower with the kill switch disabled.

[shmokes]

If it's activated by sitting on the seat, why do you care?  People who remove safety devices with no good reason are the surest evidence there is that Darwin's theory of natural selection is accurate and in full force.

[shmokes]

I don't care.  I'm curious. 

[FrizzleFried]

Easy answer...


...he plans on using the tractor for lawn-mower races and he has to stand up to take the whoop-de-doo's!

[RandyT]

I have a little "Yard Bug" which would kill the engine if you tried to put it in reverse with the mower deck engaged.  Apparently, they did not wish to be held liable for some dummy backing over his kid with the blades spinning.  Of course, you can't effectively use the thing that way, especially if you have a smaller area to mow, even though the whole point of the small machine was to mow smaller lawns.

Needless to say, that "feature" was quickly defeated....Darwin be damned.  Sometimes it's more about protecting the companies from lawsuits than the users from harm.

[danny_galaga]

to add my auto-electrical perspective- colours mean nothing. tace the wires to see what they do. i personally think its a good idea to leave it alone, and i guess so do john deere which is why theyve made it a bit harder. but if youre gonna do it, trace the wires to see what they do. colours mean nothing.

[hypernova]

And the TV discharging comparison isn't quite correct. Working on a chassis without discharging is a better comparison with riding a lawnmower with the kill switch disabled.

Point is they're both dangerous.  Though the chassis has much more potential for danger.  Anyways............

Well, I've known several people who have rolled riding lawnmowers. My neighbor rolled his 2 weeks ago.

I have known...nobody.

If it's activated by sitting on the seat, why do you care?

Because it's hot, and every time I have to raise ---my bottom--- and adjust my clothes and undergarments from sticking to it and other areas it kills the engine...then restarts it.  The numerous times I do this during my multiple hour cutting time can't be good on an engine.

I have a little "Yard Bug" which would kill the engine if you tried to put it in reverse with the mower deck engaged.

This has a reverse mower deck kill switch.  It'll still run, just the mower deck will disable itself, unless you press in the RIO button (Reverse something something) as you put it in reverse.  This isn't a big deal, as I only go in reverse a grand total of about 5 times when I mow.

[shmokes]

It takes you multiple hours to mow your lawn on a riding lawn mower?  Jesus Nonexisting Christ, how big is your yard?

[SithMaster]

It takes you multiple hours to mow your lawn on a riding lawn mower?  Jesus Nonexisting Christ, how big is your yard?

His yard is a football field.

Well, I've known several people who have rolled riding lawnmowers. My neighbor rolled his 2 weeks ago. If it weren't for that kill switch, he could have been...well... have you seen the ending to Dead Alive?

And the TV discharging comparison isn't quite correct. Working on a chassis without discharging is a better comparison with riding a lawnmower with the kill switch disabled.

Lets see how happy you are when you need to use a lawn mower and it keeps turning off when you want to cut up zombies.

[abzman2000]

Jesus Nonexisting Christ

the high point of my day

[hypernova]

Jesus Nonexisting Christ, how big is your yard?

Shmokes, that is one of the greatest inserts ever!

I cut about 3/5 of it regularly.  On a 6 speed, I was on 5, and it took 2 hours.  The other 2/5 of the yard my wife mows every couple of weeks, to save on gas, and that part of the yard is unimportant.  It takes her another 2 hours or so, going at around 2 or 3 speed.  So overall, if I cut it all regularly, I'd say about 3.3 hours at speed 5?  Just an estimate.

And every single second is excruciating to my fun center.

No.  Not THAT fun center.  The intangible one.