Mowing in reverse with SCUT and MMM

[WinterDeere]

So this is begging the questions: at what point/size does this not become a required feature? Is it only sub-compacts? only those models frequently sold/marketed with a mid-mount mower? ...and is it only tied to having an implement/load on a mid-PTO? (would seem to become a real nuisance when using a 3pt snowblower)

Just curiosity on my part

My 2020 model year 3033R with mid-PTO option also has this. I believe it only activates when I select the mid-PTO, but I honestly don’t mow with that machine, so I haven’t tested it. It is not an issue with the rear PTO, I have run a rear snowblower on that machine without having to hit the bypass at all.

... and to answer the OP’s no.3 question, if the PTO stops (eg. you forget to overrride before reverse), then yes... you should throttle down to re-engage the PTO. However, once you learn to get used to remembering the override switch, the PTO will not stop when you reverse.

 

[WinterDeere]

I have many obstacles in the yard that I have to mow between and back up from. This would be a deal breaker for me. Will never own something with this feature again. I disabled it on a Cub Cadet lawn tractor I had 16 years ago, but I inherited that when it was already 10 years old. I sure as hell don’t want to modify a new tractor and potentially void warranty just to make it do the job I purchased it for.

I have felt that way about damn near every new safety feature or automated function added to each tractor or vehicle I have owned, during the pre-purchase research phase. But these things nearly always become much less of an issue than you imagined they would be.

You do have to give the engineers and designers at Deere some credit for finding the least obtrusive way to conform to these new laws, as intrusive as some of them are.

 

[WinterDeere]

Get a zero turn

This is the preferred path, but adding the cost of a ZTrak may be out of reach for many who need a SCUT for other jobs on a smaller property.

 

[WinterDeere]

I have a Kubota B7800 with 72" mmm & John Deere 650 with 60" mmm. Both operate in reverse.

That Deere 650 was mowing lawns before half this forum was alive, but not really relevant to the OPs dilemma, with regard to buying a new machine today. I don’t think any CUT on the market had a reverse safety switch, at the time that machine was being engineered in early-1970’s Japan.

I used to own a 750, and then an 855 with a 72” MMM... but also not relevant.

 

[RammerJammer]

To me, the folks who came up with this silly 'no-mow-in-reverse' stuff are idiots, own stock in electric clutch, etc. companies or both. Talk about unnecessary wear! Every time you restart, you put wear on clutches, belts, pulleys, bearings and the operator! This is a ridiculous concept. However, I hear folks around me doing it time after time, week after week. We live in an era of mind-numbed robots!

I bought a Cub Cadet mower with that goofy "feature" years ago and disabled it ASAP. Being able to cut in reverse was a benefit - not a liability. But, those days are behind me - Haven't used a mower for 8 or 10 years. I understand that some equipment shuts everything down if there's no pressure on the seat - Even when you hit a bump! Life is too short for such lowest-common-denominator thinking. You clear the area before mowing and keep it that way until finished - No people/animals. Simple. If you run over something inanimate, you'll learn not to while you're repairing it!

 

[edinottawa]

1: This rear mowing "feature" is quite common on consumer grade machines. Reason: Lawyers (alluded to before in an earlier comment)
2: I have a Massey GC2300-cuts in both directions without needing a switch.
3: Very Important! If you come to sell your modified machine, reinstate ALL safety features as they were from the factory. Reason: Lawyers.
The latter point has been discussed extensively in other forums.

 

[Tony H]

While at the JD dealer yesterday I was told that the mid mount mower pto would stop if I go in reverse (1025R) . There is a button to override this. I was also told it was required to have this function by law and that all SCUT would stop the pto. It was stated as a safety feature.

Questions:
1 Does kubota mmm pto stop if you go in reverse (bx2680)?
2. Does this become a nuisance while mowing, do you have to push the button every time you back up then start forward?
3. after backing up ( to turn around etc) do you have to throttle down to re-engage pto before going forward?

All 'lawn' tractors are required to have the nuisance added. It's the dumping-up of America rule of safety. The 'real' tractors should not have this mandate. Yes I find it a pain. Most forums have folks showing wiring changes that delete this headache. Some manufacturers have a one time button override while others have you push a button everyone you go in reverse.

 

[prairiegirl]

If you can find what activates it... I believe I put a zippy on something. How can you mow around things and in corners if you can't back up?

 

[RickB]

On my x744 garden tractor, the reverse implement option (RIO) button pad gets pulled up as you start to back up otherwise the deck stops. I don't have kids but have small dogs so I do have to watch what is behind me. That is why I disabled the RIO. If I am fumbling around and reaching down to pull the RIO, I'm not turned and looking behind me. Now we love it for mowing the yard.

Coupled with the inherent danger to bystanders and spectators whic is pretty much unavoidable this is a great example of why RIO is a stupid idea to begin with.

 

[RickB]

All 'lawn' tractors are required to have the nuisance added. It's the dumping-up of America rule of safety. The 'real' tractors should not have this mandate. Yes I find it a pain. Most forums have folks showing wiring changes that delete this headache. Some manufacturers have a one time button override while others have you push a button everyone you go in reverse.

As noted, other brands of tractors in the same hp class are sold every day without this annoying feature. There is no mandate for it on SCUT machines. It is strictly a manufacturer choice.