John Deere Seat switch

JAMES NICHOLSON · Jun 5, 2022

I have a John Deere X350 and when mowing on a slight slope if I lean over a little the seat switch cuts the mower clutch off. Is there any way to disable the switch or fix the problem ?

Hughman · Jun 5, 2022

Paperclip

RancherGuy · Jun 5, 2022

On my JD mower, I discovered that the seat switch is NO (Normally Open) without a rider, so when one is seated, it makes contact for the two wires that go to it. The seat has a wire connector somewhere close to the seat. I unplugged mine and inserted a small copper wire across the two contacts, in essence creating a jumper (same as what @Hughman is saying).

bmg88201 · Jun 5, 2022

I did the same thing on my X300 by making a jumper between the contacts in the plug. I also disabled the RIO by unbolting the switch from it’s mounting position and zip tied it to the frame, so it stays open all the time without needing a jumper.

RancherGuy · Jun 5, 2022

bmg88201 said:
... I also disabled the RIO by unbolting the switch from it’s mounting position and zip tied it to the frame, so it stays open all the time without needing a jumper.

Please explain the RIO issue in detail. I once had an X749 but sold it. It was super annoying that the mower would shut off upon reverse. I looked all over for a solution and found nothing to override - figured it was a switch inside the transmission.

bmg88201 · Jun 5, 2022

On my particular X300 the switch was located under the foot board of the mower body on the discharge side below the reverse pedal. When depressing the reverse pedal it pushes on the RIO switch and kills the blades. I just unbolted the switch from the frame and moved it away from the reverse pedal instead of trying to unplug it and use a jumper like on the seat switch. Because of where it’s located, plugging the switch would mean both ends of the switch would fill up with grass, dirt and water. So it made more sense to leave the switch intact and just move the switch out of the way where it would not get engaged.