Safety's Is it a bug or a feature?

[Roger66]

I'm a new tractor owner and I have a 2017 Mahindra 1526. I'm not complaining here, in fact it works the way I like it. My question is: Is there supposed to be a safety on the seat? On typical modern lawn tractors if you got off the seat, it kills the engine. On this there is no such safety. The only safety on this from what I can tell is that you have to be seated with the clutch in to start the tractor. The fact that there is no seat safety is very handy as I often stand to see my fork tips I also sometimes make tiny adjustment moves by hand when I'm off the tractor, so again no complaints. I'm just wondering if this is a bug or a feature?

 

[John Fitzgerald]

On mine, (hydro trans) if I get off the seat and the tractor is not moving, it won't shut off unless the PTO is engaged. I can stand and operate the loader just fine if stationary. If PTO is engaged, I have to stay firmly in the seat, or the engine shuts off. Edit:If parking brake is on, PTO runs without operator in the seat.

 

[Roger66]

I have not used my PTO yet, so I haven't tested that, but that makes sense.

 

[vvanders]

Yeah, it's really common to have a cut-off on the seat safety tied to the parking brake so you can run stationary PTO implements like generator of wood chipper. Not sure how Mahindra does it.

 

[TheMan419]

My New Holland does not shut off unless the pto is engaged. It has a warning beep but continues to run. If pto is engaged I can't rembr if engine shuts down or if pto shuts off.

If parking brake engaged that is a different story.

 

[TerryR]

I'm a new tractor owner and I have a 2017 Mahindra 1526. I'm not complaining here, in fact it works the way I like it. My question is: Is there supposed to be a safety on the seat?

Yes. It has been on all tractors for years.

On typical modern lawn tractors if you got off the seat, it kills the engine. On this there is no such safety. The only safety on this from what I can tell is that you have to be seated with the clutch in to start the tractor.

Yes, that's the way it works on real tractors.

I'm just wondering if this is a bug or a feature?

What does the owner's manual say?

 

[CincyFlyer]

Yes. It has been on all tractors for years.



Yes, that's the way it works on real tractors.



What does the owner's manual say?

On my Mahindra, no seat pressure is required for starting. Pushing in the clutch hits the button and I can start it.

 

[DieselBound]

Makes sense that on a clutched tractor that there is less concern over being in gear. Consider if one had the accelerator cranked up and started the engine with it in gear. I'm pretty careful, bit I can see something like this happened with horrific consequences. That said, I hate the cut-off when I KNOW that I want to get out of the seat with the tractor running and stopped: so many times I get up, forgetting to set the brake or shift out of [HST] gear. I regularly jump off of my B7800, and even out of my HST Polaris, while it's still rolling along- not something I'd want to teach novices, but I'm well aware of it and it allows me to work/do things a lot faster.

 

[BTDT2]

Are you asking for more safety disconnects? If you are not using your PTO why would it be unacceptable to exit the tractor when the engine is idling? I can do it in my GMC pickup and in my Kubota. At what point do we take responsibility for our own actions?

 

[Roger66]

Are you asking for more safety disconnects? If you are not using your PTO why would it be unacceptable to exit the tractor when the engine is idling? I can do it in my GMC pickup and in my Kubota. At what point do we take responsibility for our own actions?

By no means am I asking for more safety lockouts! I'm happily surprised I can stand up and maneuver. My JD shuts down if I get up without setting the brake. I wasn't sure if these safeties were government mandated or not.

 

[mcfarmall]

The seat switch is the first one to be defeated. Nothing like mowing a bumpy field and having the engine cut out frequently. Probably not real good for the engine to be shut off for half a second and then re-started at full PTO rpm.

My favorite tractor safety device is the training from my dad all the years while growing up.

 

[TheMan419]

My NH Boomer 24 (HST) will continue to run if I get off the seat as long as the PTO is not active. If I do not set the emergency brake it will beep at me but keep running. I don't even have to be in the seat to start it.

If PTO is engaged that is a different story. I either need to be in the seat or the brake needs to be set or engine will shut down.

EDIT: I am going to have to check that.... because if I am mowing and bounce a bit the engine does not shut down....

 

[TerryR]

If PTO is engaged that is a different story. I either need to be in the seat or the brake needs to be set or engine will shut down.

EDIT: I am going to have to check that.... because if I am mowing and bounce a bit the engine does not shut down....

My JD 870 doesn't shut down on bumps either, but that's because there is a small time delay - long enough to not activate on most bumps.

The delay is also long enough to give me a chance to pull the switch up and neutralize the safety when I get off to operate a stationary implement like the chipper. I suppose an interlock with the parking brake as some have described would be easier to use, but on this one you have to raise the seat and manually pull the switch up to run with the PTO on and no one in the seat.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

I think if I'm bouncing in the seat enough while mowing to engage the safety cut off, I am mowing too fast.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I think if I'm bouncing in the seat enough while mowing to engage the safety cut off, I am mowing too fast.

:cool2:
Naaa... Go faster, it will start to skip over the tops of the rough stuff and smooth out!

 

[Industrial Toys]

Our JD 6200 has no such thing. I can't image using it, as I often stand, to look over a high trailer backing up, or when doing other precise work.

 

[MHarryE]

Standard is based on height of controls. If the controls are high enough that a 90th percentile male (there is a legal definition) cannot reach them from the ground, no switch is required. I helped defend a lawsuit on that. Operator was standing, hit a bump (witnesses saw), fell off and crushed. First person to scene stated the operator got out "help me" but there was no help - he was disemboweled. Family sued stating there should have been an operator presence device but regs for that size said no so summary judgement against.