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Do you own a lawn mower and desire productivity rather than an extra safety layer? Perhaps, there is a technical problem with the safety switch, and all you care about is bypassing it right now until it is fixed.

If this is true, you are on the right page. You are about to discover how to bypass the safety switch on your lawn mower. Just hang on.

Every riding lawn mower comes with a safety switch that ensures the operational safety of the user. However, the safety switch may irritate a few users, especially since movement in the reverse direction is impossible without tapping the safety mechanism.

One way to eliminate this hassle is bypassing the safety switch, but before we talk about the step by step guideline to follow, let’s look at how the safety switches lawn mowers work.

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How the safety switch on a lawn mower works

The safety switch of your zero turn mower works by preventing you from starting the garden tool’s engine with the transmission still fully engaged. It only works when you depress the clutch/brake pedal as you start the lawn mower’s engine.

Most safety switches on a lawn mower are pressure-activated. They perfectly disrupt power to the mower’s engine, especially if you leave the seat while the machine-operated unit is still in operation.

Safety Precautions to take Before Bypassing the Safety Switch on Your Lawn Mower

Bypassing the safety switch of your lawn mower is a relatively straightforward process, especially if you can follow instructions. You can do this independently and at home, even if you are not a DIY enthusiast.

Nevertheless, as with everything, safety comes first. You need to take some precautionary measures that ensure your overall safety. Below are few important things to do:

Wear a pair of insulated rubber hand gloves to protect your hands when you have to disconnect some wires.
Operate the pliers and ratchet carefully in order to avoid any form of injury.
Lift the seat and clean the dust with a dust or brush so that debris or dust doesn’t slow you down.
Temporarily disable the safety switch. Disabling it permanently effectively voids the warranty of the manufacturer. Therefore, be extra careful about it.
Be doubly sure you want to bypass your mower’s safety switch. The manufacturer intentionally equipped your lawn mower with this safety mechanism to prevent accidents or injuries.

Tools You Might Need:

Simple Steps to Bypass the Safety Switch on your Riding Lawn Mower

Step 1: Set up the lawn mower in your garage or workshop shed (if you have one)

You need to be as convenient as possible; so, ensure the lawnmower is resting on a flat surface without tilting or moving. Then, activate the mower’s parking mode.

Step 2: Disconnect the mower’s battery terminals

Next, disconnect the battery terminal of the lawnmower. Every battery has two terminals: black and red.

Unplug these terminals; start with the negative cable using the ratchet. Then disconnect the positive battery cable from its terminal.

This is to avoid unnecessary electrical shocks that may lead to injuries during the bypassing process.

Step 3: Locate the safety switch you want to bypass and disconnect wires

The safety switch – which often comes with a plastic harness – of a lawn mower is often installed beside the negative terminal of the garden tool’s battery. It is usually found underneath the seat of the safety mower.

You will see two(2) wires attached to the plastic harness. Grab and pull these wires by hand in order to disconnect them from the harness. Use the pliers to cut the wires if you cannot fully disconnect the wires.

Step 4: Cover the disconnected wires with electrical tape

After successfully disconnecting the wires, you should cover the ends of these wires with electrical tape. This ensures your safety and prevents unwarranted electrical shocks. Tie both wires together so that you can easily tuck them away out of sight.

Step 5: Reattach the battery cables to their designated terminals

Next, reconnect the battery cables to the terminals, starting with the positive cable. When the positive cable is successfully attached to its designated terminal, proceed with the negative cable and do likewise.

Step 6: Reassemble Everything

Start by sliding back the seat onto the seat plate using the socket wrench and screwdriver appropriately.

Go over every inch of the areas you touched – i.e., the battery cables/terminals, the disconnected wires from the safety switch, etc. – in order to ensure that everything is in its proper place.

Step 7: Test the lawn mower

You need to test your lawnmower to see if the entire process was a success. And you need to ensure that the safety switch is no longer causing any form of disturbance during operation.

Therefore, power the lawn mower by starting it using its ignition key. Drive the lawn mower until it covers several feet and then park.

Set the brake lever to prevent the mower from moving from its parking spot. Then get off the lawn mower in order to see if the garden tool’s engine will stop running.

If the lawn mower keeps running, you have successfully bypassed the safety switch without any hassles.

Conclusion

So, that’s it: you have successfully bypassed the safety switch of your lawn mower without even paying a dime to a specialist technician.

Once again, be careful; this is a temporary solution. Disabling the safety switch permanently goes against the terms and conditions of the manufacturer. This may void the warranty of the lawn mower’s manufacturer, and you won’t have a leg to stand on if anything goes wrong.