How to bypass kill switch on riding lawn mower?
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I think he may be asking about a different kill switch. Not the switch that kills the engine when there is no weight in the seat, but the one that kills the engine when the blades are engaged and you try to reverse.
I found this question because I was searching to see if someone had a simple answer to my question. I guess somewhere between '92 and '02 Deere or the government decided you should not be able to mow in reverse. I find this decision very irritating since I have to make many forwards and backs in certain places in my yard. Having to start and stop the blades bugs me because it's wearing out the belt and clutch. It's not like I plan to mow my yard backwards, but this "feature" is very annoying.
Based on the answers so far, it doesn't seem like anyone here knows the circuit to know what to bypass or disconnect.
Why? It's there for a reason. Don't..replace it if it's bad.
It should be fairly simple to do, if you can get at the connections to the switch.
HOWEVER --- I would recommend that you NOT do that. Even though YOU might have your head screwed on straight enough to avoid being injured, think about anybody else who might have occasion to use the mower - for example, what if you die and your child, mate or other friend inherits the mower -- would you want THEM to be injured by the now unsafe mower?
Believe me, I hopped off my John Deere lawn tractor on a _slight_ slope one day when the grass was a little wet and slippery, and damn if my foot didn't slip under the mowing deck! Fortunately I didn't fall, but if I had, and my foot tipped upwards, it would've gone right into the path of the moving blade. Goodbye foot!
It really isn't a good idea to do this in most cases. So, I have to start out by saying I recommend you don't.
Perhaps, however, there is a reason we can't figure out and you'll still be very safe and cautious.
The kill "switch" is nothing more than a way to break the circuit to the spark plug. Most push mowers now have a handle you have to squeeze to pull a small bar up against the push bar. If you follow the cable from the small bar you will come to a switch or breaker. Connecting a wire from one side of the switch to the other, you will overcome the kill switch. It's the same for many riding lawn mowers (where getting up from the seat or putting in reverse kills the mower.) They are just breakers that interrupt the electrical system and prevent the spark plug(s) from firing.
Unless there is an extremely unusual circumstance you should not bypass the safety feature. Before these were installed, many people were losing feet and hands and otherwise injuring or getting injured. Good luck.
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