XT1 CAN mow in reverse without using the Key Safety Switch

[Boudreaux In Eunice La.]

I was born in the early 60's and have been cutting or trying to cut grass at a very early age...... In fact my dad bought me a kiddie mower that when you pushed it, it would make a engine sound.....

Back then a 3.5 HP Briggs would cut a 2 acre yard excluding the house footage and run for 10 to 20 years and there was not one safety feature on those mowers....

When you are raised up in that environment then you know what safety is about...... Barr none ~!~!

Plus Tard Mes Amies ~!~!

 

[vv0350]

Amen.....Im 73, wife 63, and when I use my XT1, I am mowing a 2 1/2 acre property with about 30 trees out in the country.. Nearest neighbor about 1/8 mile away.......My wife and I both mow, she uses a key start, self propelled 21" and me, the XT1...it takes us about 4 hours, another 1/2 hour to weed eating along the permitter fences. In the hot, humid summer weather, I don't need any more issues that slow me down than absolutely necessary...anyway, that's where we are..I wold never hook the key safety switch up again. PS...NO kids around here anywhere...I might rethink this whole thing if there were....don't know..

 

[Papa Smurf]

I mow a 2 1/2 acre lot in the country. and just bought a XT1, Lt42. I have to back up maybe 20 times per mowing...

I realized that once the safety switch was activated, you could go ahead an mow forward and reverse without any further switch use...BUT if you hit a bump, and we have many, or got off the mower, it would disconnect nd you had to set it again......

SOOOOO, I looked around and followed a set of wires from the back of the "interlock switch", a plunger switch at the back of the reverse rod located under the seat ...I realized there was a easy disconnect plug up under ant at the back of the battery area...secured very near the back of the mower. I pulled the battery out and reached down....squeezed the center of the clear plastic plug, pulled a little on both ends, and it disconnected....tucked the two halved around the other wiring in the area and used a little black tape to double secure everything...The plastic cooling blades are just a few inches away and you would NOT want to have the plug halves get pulled into those blades....Anyway, I put the battery back in and started it up..NOW, when you start the mower, you can push the forward pedal and go forward, then push the reverse pedal and go backward without moving the key, or pushing any button, or waiting for a little light to go on...

NOTE: I have no little kids anywhere near me when mowing...If I did, I probably would not do this modification...

I have a 2021 Cub cadet LS46. Followed your fix and it worked perfectly. Thank you.

 

[slomo]

And then again, what kind of person mows backwards without looking behind them.... :confused2:

These people.

 

[bertsmobile1]

And I would go one further,
What type of parent would mow while there were other people , particularly children in the yard ?
I for one use mowers that predate the MIR features and can not see the logic of preventing tractors mowing in reverse and allowing ZTR's to do the said same thing .
However no repair leaves my yard unless all of the safety switches are functioning properly .
I have wired in some delay modules to mower that did not have them and extended plungers on switches to desencatize them

 

[ILENGINE]

I have several customers with ZTR's that will shut off the deck if both control levers are moved into the reverse direction, and then reactivate the deck if one or both are moved to go forward. So you can mow while turning around but cannot mow if moving straight backwards.

 

[bertsmobile1]

I have several customers with ZTR's that will shut off the deck if both control levers are moved into the reverse direction, and then reactivate the deck if one or both are moved to go forward. So you can mow while turning around but cannot mow if moving straight backwards.

Thats good to know
Not seen one of them yet but will keep it in mind
Thank you

 

[MowManMow]

While the NMIR safety feature is some what of a joke & I for one feel it is totally unnecessary piece of complication that does absolutely nothing to make any one safer.
It is a safety item mandated by law in some states, so it is not prudent to encourage people to defeat it.
I appreciate that you sound like a reasonable person with sufficient understanding of a mowers electronics to do what you have done but broadcasting it encourages others who may not be mechanically compitent as yourself to follow suit.
The danger there is the seat switch , which is the only safety device on a mower which does protect the operator and those near by, is also close to the NMIR switch so you risk causing people to accidentially defeating that.
Most mowers are fitting a much more complicated NMIR switch which can not be defeated because if it is disconnected the mower will not start.
So broadcasting such things just causes NMIR systems to get more complicated.

Old post but I fully agree!! I'll double down on the seat switch being a Posi. Ive re-installed several on used Garden tractors I bought over the yrs before operating them. Always the first to get modified but pull a big mower off a close freind/relative just one time, it sort of makes one see the light on some safety concerns, just trust me.
May be better with a mandatory prison term for those too ignorant to safely operate dangerous equipment near other people/animals than push this costly safety bull chit that only distracts/frustrates all operators.
The ignition/safety control part alone is over $100 on MTD Cubs & lasts 2-3yrs now days. Thats frustrating to me & I don't even own one..lol

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

Old post but I fully agree!! I'll double down on the seat switch being a Posi. Ive re-installed several on used Garden tractors I bought over the yrs before operating them. Always the first to get modified but pull a big mower off a close freind/relative just one time, it sort of makes one see the light on some safety concerns, just trust me.
May be better with a mandatory prison term for those too ignorant to safely operate dangerous equipment near other people/animals than push this costly safety bull chit that only distracts/frustrates all operators.
The ignition/safety control part alone is over $100 on MTD Cubs & lasts 2-3yrs now days. Thats frustrating to me & I don't even own one..lol

One or two children (maybe more) get mowed over each year and injured or killed. That is why the manufacturer puts reverse safety switches. Every time the blades disengage, think of the wear and tear on the clutch and engine. There are ways of dealing with safety switches, which I will not go into on here.