bypass seat switch

My HDS3186 intermittently dies when releasing the brake. To bypass the seat switch, is all I need to do is remove the switch & connect the two wires with a jumper wire??

Thanks for the help!

The seat switch was installed because somebody sued the manufacture for millions due to it not being there.
Does this site want to be liable a non functional safety device?
The switch may require replacement, the seat adjusted to fit the operator. Or as I tell my wife and kids, "keep you butt on the seat and the mower won't shut off".

1st of all it's YOUR LIFE. Fix or replace that switch, DON'T BY PASS IT. I had an incindet(sp) while mowing on a slope the main drive belt came off & the riding mower started to roll backwards, mower deck still engaged,every one knows the clutch/brake are marginal at best. any way at the end of the hill the mower was on top of me, if it was't for that seat swith I would be a DEAD MAN IT WOULD HAVE GROUND ME TO DEATH. NO there was NO TIME TO JUMP OFF OF THE RIDING MOWER. Been there down that. BECAREFUL Dave F.

Amen to keeping the switch. I am not fond of the other switches, especially the engine kill when reversing with the blade engaged, but I"ve seen and heard of too many turning over. I"m modifying a riding mower for my son to use on his steep lawn (widening and weighting the wheels) and I plan to add a turn-over switch to the current set and add a solenoid to activate the deck brake.

I asked about how to bypass it to confirm if it was bad...thats all.

I really didnt care to hear any sermons on wether it should be there or not. I just wanted to confirm it was bad.

Sorry I asked. See all of you on Sundays preaching some more.

plh_in
I know how you feel.
A few weeks ago, on another group, I ask about buying a title. You should have saw all the do gooders shame me saying what is wrong and right. I'm sure not a one of them ever drive over the speed limit, or didn't come to a complete stop at a stop sign, or fudge just a little on an expense account, so that is OK for them to tell me what was right and wrong.

plh in wrote: "Re: bypass seat switch in reply to plh_in, 10-27-2008 08:36:12

I asked about how to bypass it to confirm if it was bad...thats all.
I really didnt care to hear any sermons on wether it should be there or not. I just wanted to confirm it was bad.

Sorry I asked. See all of you on Sundays preaching some more. "

I suggest that you go back and read your original post, including the THREAD TITLE. You asked how to bypass this safety switch. There's no mention about you wanting to "test" the switch.

Therefore, the responses you got were in line with your question, whether you liked those responses or you didn't. Questions about bypassing any safety switch on a lawn/garden tractor are not well-received on many forums. In fact, some forums have rules in place that forbid such discussions because the forum owners don't want to risk being caught up in some stupid lawsuit. And don't think that it can't happen because it already has happened.

Getting all pissy with members who don't give you the reply you're looking for isn't very smart. Questions posed will often draw a variety of answers. Learn how to pick the ones you like and quietly disregard those you don't.


As for the problem you asked about; remove the switch and use either a test light or a meter to check whether the switch functions correctly or not. It might be the switch, it might be just an adjustment to the switch or it might be a loose connection in the wiring. Intermittent problems are the hardest to track down so you need to be patient and thorough. And lastly: when posting about a problem; put the make and year of your tractor in the post. Don't assume that everyone knows what machine you're talking about from a model number.

My old PowerKing doesn't have a seat switch, I
think people were smarter in 1950 and didn't need
a seat switch.

Someone probably got hurt and sued the company and that's why we have all these safety switches.
I bought my first Troy Bilt tiller in 1978 and it didn't have any switches, but that changed in 1991 when I bought the black 25th anniversary tiller. I have an old Troy without any of those switches and I'm 75, soon be 76. I've heard stories of people carrying rotory mowers across an area without shutting off the engine.
You can't idiot proof everything. Hal

An SCR [ Silicon Control Rectifier ] is a devilish thing in itself. Had a few go on my old Toro R E R The complexity is bewildering, even more so when you realize it slows the activation of the seat switch. To me, when you fall off, you want instant action, not delayed action. Yes the switch can be tested, the best test is to add short jumper wires, and connect to a VOM or test light. With no weight, the resistance should be infinate, with an operator
sitting on the seat, the resistance should be zero. My favorite safety device is the clutch switch, common on Craftsman tractors, used on others, that prevents some fool from starting the machine while standing next to it. I've got a craftsman with a broken switch, if your foolish enough to start it in gear, off it goes !