Disconnect Lawn Tractor Switches

Watched some videos about bypassing safety switches. Tried these on seat and backup on new Deere. Great improvement. But wife asked if doing so is illegal. Could it void warranty?

Just disconnect 1 wire. For warranty concerns re- connect it. It's the wire at the engine that grounds the magneto. To kill the engine turn the key to off and touch the wire back to its contact point. Or if you're handy run a alligator clipped wire from the mag wire to up near the steering console and touch the wire to a metallic surface to kill it.

For safety concerns you are on your own.

:welcome: Welcome to the forum.

I'm going to move this thread over to our John Deere section.

It's YOUR mower .... do as you please.. BUT please ... if you defeat the safety switches .. be VERY sure
there are no children or animals anywhere near your property when operating your machine ...
COMMON SENSE should prevail !!! Stay safe ... ...Boobala

When a customer comes into my shop and wants a safety switch bypassed I do it for them. Their money and mower. Depending on how a switch works is how you bypass it. Yes a dealer may not warranty anything that has been tampered with just because they don't like warranty work and the reason they make more money on customer work. I have worked as a mechanic for dealers and this is the reason I know this.

But if you really want to prove we are ignorant stupid monkey derrivative then dissable it , get off it without the brake applied and the blades still spinning then slip your toes under the beck when you get back on as it rolls away a little.
While you are laying in the hospital wondering how you are going to pay the $ 500,000 micro surgery bill contemplate just how smart you were by bypassing the switch.

My Deere dealer will check and repair any disabled safety switch's before releasing the tractor back to the customer when its brought in for service. Not sure if that's their policy or Deere's but I guess it makes sense in today's super litigious society.

I agree that disabling a seat switch is just plain dumb but the RIO switch is another matter:smile: I can override mine by placing a Bic ball point pin cap under the PTO switch when I'm using the mower but if anyone else were to use it the RIO is still functional.

eric102 said:

My Deere dealer will check and repair any disabled safety switch's before releasing the tractor back to the customer when its brought in for service. Not sure if that's their policy or Deere's but I guess it makes sense in today's super litigious society.

I agree that disabling a seat switch is just plain dumb but the RIO switch is another matter:smile: I can override mine by placing a Bic ball point pin cap under the PTO switch when I'm using the mower but if anyone else were to use it the RIO is still functional.

Click to expand...

No arguement about the RIO switch they are dumber than the dim wit whoes lawrer got them fitted in the first place.

bertsmobile1 said:

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO ADVANTAGE TO THE USER WHATSOVER TO DISSABLING THE SEAT SWITCH​

But if you really want to prove we are ignorant stupid monkey derrivative then dissable it , get off it without the brake applied and the blades still spinning then slip your toes under the beck when you get back on as it rolls away a little.
While you are laying in the hospital wondering how you are going to pay the $ 500,000 micro surgery bill contemplate just how smart you were by bypassing the switch.

Click to expand...

So you don't have to restart the tractor every time to get off from it. Just turn off the mower deck blades before you exit the mower. You can't turn off your push mower and you keep your feet from under the deck. All my personal mowers have the seat switch connected. Sorry I don't agree on this. We don't need any childish name calling on this forum for different ideas..:thumbdown:

Most of the "safety devices" on modern mowers do noting other than to protect the mower or the idiot driving it from their own stupidity.
IMHO if you are stupid enough to get off your mower then use our hands to clear out a blocked chute you deserve to have both of you hands chopped to bits.
And the same for push mowers.
If every 10th person you see is missing a few fingers or whole hands then it might sink into to peoples thick skulls that mowers are dangerious.

The one exception to this is the seat switch.
While it does save the operator from theirs own stupidity is also protects standers by should the driver black out / have a fit/ heart attach etc and fall off.
I am yet to see a mower without a parking brake and from the 60's on when seat switches came in all of the brakes were interlocked with the seat switch.
Thus making it quite possible and in fact quite easy to turn the baldes off then put the brake on and get off the seat with the engine still running.
If you can not manage to set the brake before you get off then you really should not be using a riding mower.