Seat switch, is it a good or bad idea?

[MikeBurr]

Although the seat switch is a good idea, it can be a real pain in the a... Last time I put my mower on, it was at a odd angle and getting the hookups to match, it took me over 40 minutes to do the simple job. Finally had to put a clamp on the switch so I could move the tractor just a little bit for the final alinement to the mower. A real pain. My breaks hold just fine with the gears engaged so I don't worry much about the tractor moving by it's self. And if I really want it to stay in place I put the loader down.
Mine will most likely have a fix put on it soon....

 

[PineRidge]

Although the seat switch is a good idea, it can be a real pain in the a... Last time I put my mower on, it was at a odd angle and getting the hookups to match, it took me over 40 minutes to do the simple job. Finally had to put a clamp on the switch so I could move the tractor just a little bit for the final alinement to the mower. A real pain. My breaks hold just fine with the gears engaged so I don't worry much about the tractor moving by it's self. And if I really want it to stay in place I put the loader down.
Mine will most likely have a fix put on it soon....

I use the bucket to stay put also. Just dig the tooth-bar into the earth and the tractor isn't going anywhere. However as in my case the loader is off whenever the tractor is on mowing duty, that's today! And so the seat switch was carefully bypassed. Now when I jump off the rig the parking brake is set and the 40D is either in range I or II so it isn't going anywhere even if the brake decides to release itself.

 

[Doc_Bob]

I use the bucket to stay put also. Just dig the tooth-bar into the earth and the tractor isn't going anywhere.

I routinely drop the bucket when dismounting the tractor.
Bob

 

[Tractorganic]

Who you gonna sue if you defeat the seat switch and an insurance adjuster comes out to see the wreck and denies your (or your beneficiaries) claim?
Also I find I forget to take off the brake occasionally causing great resistance but my 40D will go. Sometimes I don't get the shifter exactly in the middle (N) and she shuts down when I get up off the seat. But; I'm not getting any younger, rather more forgetful, and have to count on these annoying mechanical backups to save me from myself. We're not machines but humans therefore little errors in hot weather or under stress can compound themselves into serious "accidents".

 

[MikeBurr]

True it is a safty Item, but there are times when trying to enforce safty that things become even more unsafe. As I said above, when I was trying to get my mower hooked up, I spent a lot of time in trying to get things to lineup and it was only when I defeated the switch in order to move it while I was on the ground. If I had done that first, it would have taken me 5 minutes or less to do the hookup. It would be nice if they had a switch to allow that type of operation and it reset when you sat down again.

 

[meledward23]

Can I say you guys are crazy?

An overstatment and an exageration, but...

I agree that the parking brake and the possibility of the tractor rolling are a pain. I have had it happen once. I typically lock the tractor in place with the bucket or 3ph.

But that seat sensor is important. I have years of operating experience and seen many accidents that a seat sensor would have prohibited or where it prevented a bigger accident. Three come to mind immediately.

1) Not a tractor. I had a commercial mower once, and didn't see the branch that cracked me across the face. As I fell back teh mower kept going blades whirrling. The sensor wire had slipped off. In the end the mower ran into a chain link fence and flipper 90 degrees from the ground blades a flying. Could have been very bad.

2) My tracotor, I plowed a yellow jackets nest. I didnt wait around to turn the tractor off. I jumped and ran. The tractor slowed down just as it crunched my fence. Without that sensor who knows when it would have stopped.

3) In Atlanta, a few years back a D-9 (I think it was a d-9) operator saw his buddy on a pan excavator catch on fire. He raced over to help, and in his rush someohow managed to not take the machine out of gear. He is helping his buddy out of a burning pan grader while his dozer is off taking out a parked car and convience store... No one thank-fully hurt.

That seat sensor is there not for when you have your head screwed on straight. It is there for when something happens. Like you are driving past the house when your wife comes out with a dire emergency. You may not get that machine turned off right every which way. Just my two cents.

In the end, in my opinion safety first. Accidents are only accidents if you didn't knowingly take a risk.

 

[jinman]

That seat sensor is there not for when you have your head screwed on straight. It is there for when something happens. Like you are driving past the house when your wife comes out with a dire emergency. You may not get that machine turned off right every which way. Just my two cents.

In the end, in my opinion safety first. Accidents are only accidents if you didn't knowingly take a risk.

By all means...you should never, ever disconnect your seat switch. Perhaps you should also install them on all your motor vehicles too. Just think, if you ever get a bee after you while you are approaching a stoplight or you are backing out of your driveway when your wife comes out with a dire emergency, you could jump out of the car and have it turn itself off. Sheesh!

 

[Propertymaint]

Seat switches are good until you try to run a pto attachment that requires you to be out of the seat such as a pto chipper or cordwood saw. I like the idea someone had to install a toggle switch to bypass it when required. I have mine bypassed now but I think I will go the toggle switch route.

 

[daTeacha]

I'm liking a toggle but with a default to the factory mode. That way you can consciously flip the switch when you want it to keep running when you go to get off but it will shut down if you hastily depart. You can argue that it's not much different than shifting to N and setting the brake, but I think flipping a switch would be a lot quicker and easier.

 

[meledward23]

I got your toggle switch. Quick and easy install too.

You know that friend you have. The lazy one that does nothing but come over and drink your beers. Tell him to take a seat while you run that chipper....