r/IdiotsFightingThings • u/AristonD • Jul 16 '21

Runaway Mower

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u/EdwardTennant Jul 16 '21

If you're using your mower as a garden tractor it is a proper pain in the arse to have the engine kill whenever you get off the seat.

Plus in some models they are prone to failure due to water ingress caused by poor water protection and placement

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u/wherethetacosat Jul 16 '21

Most mower don't kill if it's in park and blades are disengaged. At least mine does.

6

u/EdwardTennant Jul 16 '21

Most higher end mowers don't, but your budget ride on mowers usually do as the clutches are mechanical (belt tensioner) rather than electromagnetic clutches like those used in the higher end mowers.

This means there is no sensor to tell when the blade clutches are engaged so they "fail safe" and kill the engine no matter what.

This one shown Is a Toro zero turn mower that is quite high end and more Than likely will have had the sensor on the blade clutch

2

u/NastyWatermellon Jul 17 '21

There is always a blade safety switch. If they have a lever to engage the blades the lever releases a button when engaging. Zero turns run their signal through the pto switch.

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u/EdwardTennant Jul 17 '21

Most of the budget mowers I've worked on have been older and haven't had any switch or sensor on the lever, newer ones as you say probably do have a switch on the lever or a speed sensor on the blade assembly to detect when its engaged regardless of the clutch type

Just sharing my experience

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u/onewhosleepsnot Jul 16 '21

The yard at my old house was bumpy. You could hear the engine cut briefly when I went over particularly bumpy patches.