Disable tractor seat shut-off?

[jyoutz]

My ne

I think OzarkChris was being fallacious. BUT your suggestion could come in handy I suppose...if there was a second person to apply the down pressure.

After threading my PHD all the way down in a split second when a root grabbed it, I don't plan to leave the seat when using the PHD...

My neighbor and I did this when using his PHD and it worked well. I felt pretty safe standing back from both digger and pto shaft applying leverage with the bar on the PHD.

 

[FERLING]

you guys bring some good points … i wanted to disable mine as well i find it annoying to have to put it in neutral every time the time i get off the seat slsi when i am focus on the tip of the loader sometime i end up at the edge of the seat and the thing turn off on me but i couldn’t get myself to do it when i imagine a few disastrous scenario pretty quickly… but i do like the ideas of the switch to disengage it and still doing the hand brake and neutral every time.

You are only bypassing the seat switch. Mine only starts if everything is in neutral and brake release switch is locked. There is nothing worst than going down a steep hill and your ass getting light in the seat, even with seat belt on, and your tractor is in between shutting down and running. Instrument panel lights up like a “rabid” possum and you don’t know whether to ”put it out of it’s misery” or call a tractor doctor. Thank goodness it healed itself after about 5 minutes.

 

[FERLING]

I had the problem where IF I wasn't seated right in the center if I turned around to look while backing up and changed my butt angle the tractor wanted to shut off.

What I did was loosen the seat spring (for lighter person setting) and no more shut offs.

Also yeah - parking brake set and out of gear tractor wont shut off.

I was going to jumper the seat sensor but figured out the seat spring thing and its been fine. Good practice safety first... accidents happen. Get used to taking short cuts and get bit in the ass. Leave the safety features alone and learn to work safe.

God help those that still use tractors without the new safety features.(eyes rolled on that comment).

 

[lman]

I bet he or she only did it once!

I remember around 1969, we were picking corn with an ear corn picker. My dad was driving the tractor and I was riding in the wagon. A friend of my father was a Doctor that still liked farming and would help routinely. On that day the Dr. was walking alongside the picker while we were moving. I then saw the Dr. running and cursing, not in a very professional manner. He had attempted to move corn stalks from some chains while walking and lost his balance with the rough ground. The index finger on his right hand had been snipped off neatly. My father later found the finger and had placed it in a jar of formaldehyde, but it could not be salvaged. He kept that finger in the jar for years and occasionally we showed it to visitors.
The Dr. continued to work as a Dr. and was apparently more competent as a Dr. than as a farmer. He became very proficient using his middle finger and not in an obscene way. I believe his boss(wife) changed his activities because he rarely came to visit after that day. It may have been heredity because as I remember the Doctor's father who was a farmer was missing about 3 or 4 fingers by the time he died.

 

[FERLING]

I remember around 1969, we were picking corn with an ear corn picker. My dad was driving the tractor and I was riding in the wagon. A friend of my father was a Doctor that still liked farming and would help routinely. On that day the Dr. was walking alongside the picker while we were moving. I then saw the Dr. running and cursing, not in a very professional manner. He had attempted to move corn stalks from some chains while walking and lost his balance with the rough ground. The index finger on his right hand had been snipped off neatly. My father later found the finger and had placed it in a jar of formaldehyde, but it could not be salvaged. He kept that finger in the jar for years and occasionally we showed it to visitors.
The Dr. continued to work as a Dr. and was apparently more competent as a Dr. than as a farmer. He became very proficient using his middle finger and not in an obscene way. I believe his boss(wife) changed his activities because he rarely came to visit after that day. It may have been heredity because as I remember the Doctor's father who was a farmer was missing about 3 or 4 fingers by the time he died.

Please Everyone lets not bring up chainsaw accidents and avoiding safety equipment or we will never hear the end of it. (Life is full of screw Ups. If you can learn from others you are way ahead of the game. School of “Hard Knocks” is just that - HARD NOTTS which leads to a lumpy head or an early grave)

 

[FERLING]

I disabled mine the day that it came home...it's pretty hard to run my logging winch while sitting on the tractor.
Apparently after 3 years the wire holding the switch open came off. I realized that after draining the tank and replacing the fuel filter, trying to figure out why it kept cutting out. Anything like sliding forward on the seat or even leaning over to check the tire chains will cause the switch to shut off... never mind standing up to see while sliding the grapple around a log.

It won't be long before the switch stops working again.

When I got my logging winch is when I realized the seat switch was a useless piece of .… Winch requires you to be out of seat and away from tractor to engage it.

 

[FERLING]

Kubota makes it easy. Just unplug the bullet connectors at the switch and plug them together to disable. I was going to put a toggle switch on the dash, but then wondered when and why would I want the seat switch to be active? Well....probably never.....

I've already got the upgraded canopy for meteorite protection, and of course we drag ten feet of chain for lightning. I probably should also get the optional water wings for floods, backups for the backup lighting and alarm, and the "slap-your-hand +siren" that goes off if the owner tries to do routine maintenance without dealer consent.

Next on the list will be the new Safety Mower Blades. They don't cut the grass, they pluck it.
rScotty

God save those that can’t afford newer tractors with newer safety features. Maybe they should outlaw older tractors, for safety reasons of coarse. Let’s discuss chainsaws next!

 

[FERLING]

My seat switch has not worked correctly since the day I got the tractor and I have no idea why. It allows me to stand to see the pallet forks and even to jockey the tractor back and forth a bit if I need to from the ground while attaching implements.

Safety features are always a trade off between safety and productivity. I choose productivity with the understanding that I have to replace the built in safety feature with the human element of being careful. Just my personal choice.

I also use full chisel chains to cut fire wood. How's that for living on the wild side?

In this day and age of automation you are a “WILD MAN THROWING CAUTION TO THE WIND”. I bet you also own a “ Harley”.

 

[pmsmechanic]

This is what I did. Very similar to post #25.

By pass of seat safety switch - pro's & con's

There are some good alternate ideas in here too.

 

[FERLING]

I have a similar issue with an operator presence seat sensor switch on my 2020 Yanmar SA424. In the warmer months it seems to work as would be expected most of the time. If the parking brake is set it will start and continue to run when the operator gets off the tractor. Sometimes in the warmer months the engine will continue to run even when I forget to set the parking brake and exit the tractor.

In the winter I seem to encounter the greatest challenges. (This is my second winter with it.) I keep it in an unheated shed, and with the parking brake set it will not remain running when I get off to allow it to warm up. I have also experienced a few no crank situations in the coldest months. Bounce on the seat a couple of times and the engine cranks and fires up, stand up and the engine shuts down. All while the parking brake is set. Plowing snow and set the parking brake to dismount and change the blade angle, and most times, the engine shuts down.

It is intermittent, I am very close to disabling it. Dealer mechanic was out last fall to service another piece of equipment and I asked him to review this unit while he was here. As would be expected, it worked every time as intended. So there was nothing he could do to "fix" the issue for me. (Unit still under manufacturer warranty.)

Since the parking brake has an adjustable sensor we did adjust it to ensure it always engages correctly when the parking brake is set. On occasion this was the issue for the no crank situation I had experienced shortly after delivery. Had to push down on that pedal till the shank flexed before the switch would engage and allow the engine to crank. Fairly certain that this condition has been corrected now.

I too have 50 & 60 year old tractors where memory muscle and operator awareness are the safety devices. However, I also have a young great nephew who wants to help me with the lawn mowing this coming summer, and while he needs to learn, I would like to minimize the protentional for a preventable injury while he is doing so. His "worldly" experiences have been very limited to date. Hence I am close, but have not disabled the sensor, as then I would need to do as others have suggested and remember to enable it before someone else is in the operator seat.

Weigh will determine if nephew is heavy enough to activate switch. Just remember if he learns on the newest he will never be cautious enough when using a older style tractor. Teach a person to drive an automatic transmission and they very seldom learn how to drive a manual transmission. If you had an older tractor would you just forget teaching the nephew how to operate it?
The best way to train a young person to mow is remove or disengage the mowing deck. Teach starting, stopping, getting on and off, etc. When he or she can follow directions and understand the danger and operate the mower safely then it’s mowing deck time. Under a watchful eye and a “bull horn” to shout “STOP“ when they forget previous instructions. Evently you can set on the porch and watch them mow the yard.