Engine 2000 725K Parking Brake Electrical Glitch

[Thorgrasshopper]

Hi. I have a 2000 725K with 61" deck with about 850hrs. I've had it for about 2 summer's and love it. It reduced my cutting time on my hilly, tree, garden, and outbuilding laden property from about 3 hrs using a 52" Kubota BX to about 1.5 hours. It was over 4 hours on my older Cub Cadet with 44" deck.
Since I've owned the 725K, if it was running with the parking brake one, and I engaged the mower deck, the engine would stall. I never thought this was normal, but maybe, and it never was really a problem.
Since the end of last year, if the parking brake is on, and the left steering handle is in the out position, the engine will not start. When the engine is running with the parking brake on, if the steering handle is pushed out, the engine will stall. The right steering handle has no effect.
Is this normal? Any ideas? The steering handle doesn't appear to have any wires attached to it.
Thanks,
Brett

 

[bertsmobile1]

Standard safety features on all ZTR.s for about the last 5 years.
Parking brake is connectd to the motion levers and to the coils cut out.
Try to move with brake on, engine cuts out.

On of your motion control lever safety switches sounds like it is playing up or the mounting is coming loose.
Offical reason.
It is possible to flip some mowers by trouncing them with the brake on
If there is a set belt then that will have an interlonc on it soon so they won'r start without the belt being fastened similar to bob cats.

 

[Thorgrasshopper]

Thanks for the reply. I was able to remove the left fender last night and indeed there is a limit switch that is activated (pushed in) when the lever is pushed out. There is also a limit switch on the parking brake (pushed in when the brake is pulled on) and under the seat (pushed in when seated). The one under the seat has some electrical tape wrapped around it from a previous owner. This may have been tampered with.

Since my mower is a 2000 (15 years old), I am wondering what the safety interlocks should be when everything is working as it was when it left the factory? The manual is not too helpful.

To start the mower engine: do you need to be seated with the parking brake on and the control levers in the out position?
To start the mower blades: do you need the parking brake off?
To put on parking brake: do you need the mower blades off?

If someone has a similar aged model, what should the safety interlocks ideally do?

Thanks,
Brett

 

[bertsmobile1]

For some strange reason a lot of owners dissable the seat switch.
Why they find it too onerious to turn off the blades & apply the brake before they get off the mower to open a gate, pick up some trash etc, etc, is beyond me.
I have 2 miles of roadside to mow so I probably have to dissmount 30 or 40 times a mow ( humans are such filthy pigs ) to pick up a 10 gallon bin full of glass & plastic bottles so I don't see a massive problem.

On ZTR's.
To start
30Kg on seat switch, brakes on, blades off , drive in neutral.

To get off seat with engine running
Blades off, brake on, drives in neutral

To move
brakes off , 30 kg on seat.