L110 "reverse" button? huh???

[Richard]

Bought a used L110 from my brother in law. Works fine. He said there was one issue with it....it has a button on the dash that if you don't depress the button and go to reverse, the blades will die.

Well, he was wrong. The blades don't die, the entire engine shuts down.

All I gotta say is "wow", I don't get this piece of stupidity.

Here's what it says on their online manual

"[h=3]Testing Reverse Implement Option (RIO)[/h]

1. Park machine safely. (See Parking Safely in the SAFETY section.)2. Start engine.3. Engage PTO to start attachment.​

c CAUTION: Avoid injury! Rotating blades are dangerous. Children or bystanders may be injured by runover and rotating blades. Before backing up, carefully check the area around the machine.​

4. Look behind the vehicle to be sure there are no bystanders.5. Begin reverse travel by depressing reverse foot pedal for automatic transmission or moving gear shift lever to R (reverse) position for gear transmission.Result: Mower and engine should stop operation. If mower or engine continues to operate as tractor begins travel in reverse, do not continue to operate mower.




Now... my question to anyone that knows (I've not yet stuck my head under there to fix this)

Would I need to go under there and connect the wires to bypass this absurdity or would I go under there to disconnect the wires to bypass?

Does anyone have a clue why this was designed as a kill button for the engine unless it's depressed while in reverse?

(in other words, tell me why I shouldn't bypass this other than "it's how they engineered it with some (stupid) safety feature in mind"

I equate this to those stupid new gas tanks that we all so dearly love. ​

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Post a wiring diagram, I'll puzzle it out.

 

[Richard]

Haven't found one yet.

 

[beenthere]

All started back when Sears was sued for an accident injuring (or maybe worse) a child when backing over them with mower running. That was the stupid part. Now comes the reaction for the sue-happy population and our ambulance-chasing lawyers.

Deere has their solution, to allow over-riding the RIO switch.

I say, if you cannot find how to take it out of the circuit, then you best leave it there. 'Cause it may just be there for those people.

 

[k0ua]

Look at the mechanism. Think mechanical. You don't have to do anything to the electrical. Just look at it.

 

[1981804]

My solution is two inches of automotive wire and two minutes with no stripping of factory wires. Strip one quarter inch from each end of the two inch wire and insert into the grey and green wires in the back of the reverse switch plug. Secure the wire with a plastic wire tie.

 

[C4Ranch]

I pulled the leads off the switch, stuck a piece of wire to connect the two and taped it up. 2min fix. Agree it's a worthless defeat.

 

[Richard]

Thanks for the various thoughts. I'm glad to get the feeling that I'm not alone in my thinking that this is just absurd.

 

[whis]

lawyer switch

 

[swines]

I'm not alone in my thinking that this is just absurd.

It's only "absurd" IF you're not the manufacturer that can be targeted for a product liability lawsuit. If you are the manufacturer, it is the first exhibit in the defense's motion to dismiss the suit.

They're attempting to protect themselves against inattentive or inexperienced equipment operators who want to blame the manufacturer for their mistake - and are facilitated by product liability lawyers looking to get 33% of any settlement.

Do you have a better suggestion for this product liability problem?

 

[BBO]

Do you have a better suggestion for this product liability problem?

Swines, you must be an engineer for JD.
Here is my suggestion.
Look at the Cub Cadet mowers and copy the feature that lets you push a switch and turn the key to another position.
Then, with a warning light on, you can mow the rest of the day without the blades stopping every time you back up 2 feet to turn a corner.

 

[k0ua]

It's only "absurd" IF you're not the manufacturer that can be targeted for a product liability lawsuit. If you are the manufacturer, it is the first exhibit in the defense's motion to dismiss the suit.

They're attempting to protect themselves against inattentive or inexperienced equipment operators who want to blame the manufacturer for their mistake - and are facilitated by product liability lawyers looking to get 33% of any settlement.

Do you have a better suggestion for this product liability problem?

Agreed. what is "absurd" is our excessive use of lawsuits to sue manufactures and our inability to accept responsibility for our actions. It is gotten so bad that I will not even assist someone with defeating the RIO system for fear of being named in a lawsuit. We have made out bed, now we must lie in it.

 

[MikePA]

Now... my question to anyone that knows (I've not yet stuck my head under there to fix this)

Would I need to go under there and connect the wires to bypass this absurdity or would I go under there to disconnect the wires to bypass?

A Google of 'L110 RIO bypass' will result in many sites, with narrated video, that will tell you how to do this. No need to analyze a wiring diagram or simulate what Cub Cadet did.

Within 30 minutes of my X310 being delivered, I found these links and had disabled the RIO and the seat switch.

 

[Wagtail]

I don't consider this (or the 'Operator in Seat' switch, for that matter) as absurd.

I do consider them to be personal anti-complacency devices that keep me from doing something without thinking about it first. When doing something repetitively or mind-numbingly constant; such as mowing, harrowing, planting... (the list its self is almost endless) a reminder to look behind you before backing is a slight embuggerance. Besides that, you only depress the RIO button initially to reverse; after that you release it and continue reversing to your hearts content.

It's not that big a deal, Mate.

 

[beenthere]

I don't mow when anyone else is around. Just a habit that I have.
And I have plenty of things to think about when mowing safely, that I don't need to have to remember to over-ride a RIO switch.
As well, I get off my tractor without putting the brake (park) on and leave the engine idle.

So, the first thing I do with a new tractor, is remove the RIO influence and the seat switch.

I agree, not that big a deal.

 

[4570Man]

lawyer switch

That is the idea, but why in the heck would they put it on the dash facing FOWARD. Wouldn't rear facing like the rear fender make more sense?

 

[jenkinsph]

That is the idea, but why in the heck would they put it on the dash facing FOWARD. Wouldn't rear facing like the rear fender make more sense?

Yes it would make more sense to have it on the rear of the fender. But in a legal sense that is not the point, all they are concerned about is establishing the point that the operator pushed the switch to allow reverse mowing. If the operator had not pushed the switch the mower would shut down. That puts all the blame on the operator, that is the purpose of the switch, proving intent.

 

[crazyal]

My el-crapo box store "Super Bronco" rider had the same stupid button. I just pulled the wires off of the switch that was set up so when it was put into reverse it would close the switch. Once doing that I disabled several others. The seat switches were pretty useless. If you lean to the side it would kill the engine. I have a coworker who has a 425 who thinks he'll be selling his house next summer. I told him to let me know if he does. I'll gladly go back a few years to get something that doesn't have the latest round of "safety" features. Even if I have to replace the cam gear, I think it's worth it.

 

[k0ua]

That is the idea, but why in the heck would they put it on the dash facing FOWARD. Wouldn't rear facing like the rear fender make more sense?

I was wondering the same thing, for about an hours operation, then I rolled it into the shop to see how things worked.. I rolled out all happy.