MTD B10 seat safety switch

[JohnOrr]

Hi all, I have been asked by a friend to try and get the above sit on mower working (I think it is from about 2000). Part of the issue is trying to work around the seat kill switch, as I need access to the battery and jump leads etc. I would like to know how to isolate the seat safely switch. For information, the mover does not have any blades underneath, it has brushes front and rear and is used for brushing a tennis club courts.

The swith in question is a 2 blade connection, one yellow and white wire going to a sensor on the left rear axle, presumably for a blade safety device. The other wire is yellow and white and I'm not sure where it ends up. This safety looks like it is a spring contact on the front edge of the seat frame, it is not a push button job.

If I want isolate the switch so I can work on the engine etc, can I just disconnect the 2 wires to the switch, or do I need to join the wires or the switch contacts together to bypass it.

Many thanks, John

 

[Born2Mow]

Sir, with all due respect.... no one is going to help you defeat a legally mandated safety switch.

 

[JohnOrr]

Thanks for your reply Born2Mow. This is only a temporary action. Due to the location of the battery under the seat, I cannot connect a set of jump leads to give the mower battery a boost due to there being no room whilst the seat is in the down position and therefore making the switch circuit.

Once I know that the engine is running and the machine is viable, then a new battery will be purchased, and the switch will remain as it was intended. Due to the battery being a small size, it would be foolish to buy a new one if the mower engine is unservicable, hence wanting to jump start it.

 

[StarTech]

Well the seat switch is only closed when the operator is not on the seat. Even then with brake/pedal fully depress. The reverse (the grounding switch at the transmission), seat, and PTO switches are all in the engine's magneto kill circuit. Now the PTO switch disengaged and brake/clutch pedal fully depress in order for the starter circuit to engaged via the ignition switch.

You could disconnect the magneto kill wire at the the magneto (coil). But you still need PTO in disengaged position and the brake/clutch pedal fully depress The wiring diagram doesn't indicated a fuel solenoid so you got the run the engine out gas or choke it death if it should happen to start.

 

[JohnOrr]

Thanks StarTech, this model has no clutch or brake, just a throttle pedal, an idler level and a lever to select1 thru 5 and park. There is no fuel solenoid, it looks gravity fed from the tank to the carb. I managed to leave the slave battery for a couple of hours hooked up to the mower one whilst in situ; this gave it enough of a boost to fire the engine (with someone on the seat!) and she fired up well. Thanks again for the advice.