Safety shut-offs on riding lawnmowers: do manufacturers need to re-visit their designs?

Polish Meg asked:


Don't go all crazy on me yet, there is a valid reason for this.

I'm a tiny woman (5'3'', 100 lbs) and its pretty much impossible for me to start my new John Deere 100 series riding lawn mower because of the switch in the seat that shuts the mower off if a certain amount of weight isn't on the seat. Because of how far the brake needs to be pushed in to get it started even with the seat in full forward position in order for me to push it in, my butt ends up lifting slightly off the seat thus reducing the pressure on the switch enough so the mower won't start. Luckily, I have a 6'3'' husband to mow the lawn for me. As a 23 year old non-physically disabled adult I should be able to use a lawnmower though.

Basically the only way around this is to simply disable the switch. What's the point of installing them on all mowers if people disable them anyway? They're not like trigger locks on guns because any adult, regardless of weight or stature has the ability to unlock one. You can still use the gun provided you have the key for the lock. I can't use my lawnmower period unless I can figure out how to disable the switch without voiding the manufacturer warranty.

I'm from a family of very small Eastern European people (I'm one of the tallest) and pretty much all of my biological relatives have had similar problems with mowers of various brands with this switch installed. Even my dad who is about my height and weighs about 140 lbs but has shorter legs had so much trouble with his Husqvarna right after he bought it that he ripped out the switch in a fit of frustration. The guy across the street from me even says has the same problem with his zero-turn too.

I know its to protect children (and brainless, litigious adults) but I know people who have kids and have still disabled the switches on their mowers because of the same problem I have; they can't use the mower if they don't disable it. What good is a child safety feature if it blocks out the adult in the house from using the product because of simple physics anyway? Manufacturers need to either make brake pedals adjustable or adjust the sensitivity of the switches. I'd recommend the latter.

It doesn't seem right that lawnmower designers are forgetting a large segment of the population when they build these safety features. I'm not saying eliminate them, just think a little harder about who exactly will be using the product. This is one idea that NEEDS to be taken back to the drawing board ASAP!

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