Seat safety switch

   / Seat safety switch #1  

CMV

Platinum Member
Joined
May 10, 2015
Messages
877
Location
NC
Tractor
Kioti NX4510HST (previous LS XJ2025H, JD 500C)
So it's been about a year, a little over 100 hrs with the NX now. And have never once thought "I sure am glad it has that seat safety switch!". But can't count the # of times I thought the opposite and I muttered curses under my breath at it.

I'm really trying to think of some beneficial reason to leave it enabled but can't come up with anything. Is there a valid reason to not disable that?

I wanted to do it on day 1 but figured I better wait "just in case". I think it's been long enough now & should get rid of it. As far as I can tell it slows down or outright hinders operation way too often for any safety benefit it might provide (and am unsure exactly what safety benefit it offers at all). The biggest drawbacks/gripes having it:

1. Mrs CMV weighs a lot less than I do so every time she hops on has to adjust the seat tension for a minute so she engages the seat safety. The way I set it for me (190 lbs) she can't even get it to start.

2. Using pallet forks by sense of smell is getting real old. Almost feel like basic training when you were learning movement to contact - "I'm up, he sees me, I'm down". Same type of pop up, hurry & get back down just to get pallet forks under something.

3. Same for digging out a half buried rock or something where I want to see the tips of bucket teeth or just need some finer/more precise movement/location of the bucket lip.

4. Jumping off to grab a branch/stick/rock/trash/anything I don't want to go over with the bush hog. I have a LOT of baseball-softball sized rocks and the ground just spits up more every month it seems. Turn off PTO, put in N, set parking brake, hop off for 3 sec to toss whatever, release brake, hunt around to find M again, reengage PTO, repeat every 25 yds for next debris.

5. Filling berms from rear - I need to get the bucket edge as close to the side as possible and then raise up next to a rear support beam. Not difficult, but need to lean way to the side to see side of bucket vs the fixed object I don't want to hit. Just that leaning triggers the seat sensor.

I'm sure there are other one-off times it has annoyed me, but those are all frequent things I do that make me dislike it continually.
 
   / Seat safety switch #2  
A safety device that prevents you from seeing what you're doing, and results in a more unsafe operating mode is NOT a safety device.

Sort of like anti-lock brakes that don't stop you as quick on ice, and result in crashing when you otherwise could of stopped w/ locked up the brakes.
 
   / Seat safety switch #3  
None of the tractors I've owned even had a seat safety switch.
If I had one and it wasn't an issue I would leave it alone. If it was a nuisance, I wouldn't hesitate to remove it from my machine. My opinion. My tractor.
 
   / Seat safety switch #4  
I disabled my seat safely switch on day number 2 of ownership.

I have never regretted it, it was just too darn irritating. I have left it alone on my zero turn mower though, as it makes more sense to me on that particular machine.
 
   / Seat safety switch #5  
I disconnected the switches on a tractor I had a few years ago but reconnected them before I sold it and after spending some time going over the tractor with the buyer who never owned a tractor I'm glad I did. After seeing some of the stupid stuff people do with their equipment nowadays I think they need to make these things as idiot proof as possible.
 
   / Seat safety switch #6  
I disabled my seat safely switch on day number 2 of ownership.

I have never regretted it, it was just too darn irritating. I have left it alone on my zero turn mower though, as it makes more sense to me on that particular machine.

I have no problem with having a clutch safety switch on my tractor, glad it doesn't have one in the seat. If it did, it wouldn't for long.

I also bypassed the one on my rider mower. My yard is rough enough that you bounce going over some sections. It also has an interlock where it shuts off the engine if you put it in reverse with the blades engaged, fortunately there's a position on the key switch that bypasses that "feature".

Maybe we need a law that requires government officials that make rules like this to have actual experience operating equipment they rule on.
 
   / Seat safety switch #7  
So it's been about a year, a little over 100 hrs with the NX now. And have never once thought "I sure am glad it has that seat safety switch!". But can't count the # of times I thought the opposite and I muttered curses under my breath at it.

I'm really trying to think of some beneficial reason to leave it enabled but can't come up with anything. Is there a valid reason to not disable that?

Simple answer is NO
 
   / Seat safety switch #8  
The safety seat buzzer on my M6040 is the way it should be on all tractors. I hook up my Wally chipper. I engage the PTO. I stand up - the buzzer activates. It will buzz for about ten seconds and then turn off - all by itself.
 
   / Seat safety switch #9  
Is it just a plug to unplug? I hate mine, I am constantly having to put it in Neutral and locking the brake in order to move a rock or large stick. My foot hurts some days from pressing in and locking the brake just to jump out . let me know If it is simple disconnect I would do it. My CK never had one and I loved that machine
 
   / Seat safety switch
  • Thread Starter
#10  
It is not quite that simple. IIRC it is removing the harness connector and grounding a pin or 2. Someone (Eric?) posted instructions a while ago in this section but will have to dig back to find. Didn't sound overly complicated, but not as simple as just unplug it like some riding mowers.
 

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