dixon ztr trouble

[12YearsComing]

hi guys. out of the blue, my speedztr30 started dying when i engaged the control levers. it starts fine & everythings ok until i bring in the controls, then the safety switch kicks in & it dies. i imagine it's a switch that went out, but can't find much online to help me figure out how to test it or even a decent diagram to start from. anyone have any experience with this or have any ideas how to bypass the switch to see if thats it? thanks!

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Is the safety switch a simple kill switch to shut the engine off?

__________________
- Subscribe to my Lawn Care Marketing Blog Feed and get daily tips sent to you. Free!
Download your Free trial of Gopher Lawn Care Software.

[CheapNEasy]

The engine is dieing of cutting the blades off?

Make sure the brake is off before bringing the controls in...

You have safety switches on the Brake, Seat, Controls, Reverse.

Make sure the switches are not stuck... you can disconnect them one by one and when the problem stops you know what one it is.

[FloridaBoy]

If you are the only person running the machine, cut every safety wire there is.

Also, check your fuses.

Last, check if there is a charging problem. Sometimes when you move controls in, or go to ingage blades, battery may be just short of enough power surge for the controls, or to engage the blades.

Not a mechanic, just been through enough older mowers to piss you off, haha

For the record, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, cut the wires. And there is also a pretty good chance that you can't find the problem by disconnecting the switches. Some of the safety switches are essentially 2 switches in one meaning that when the switch is depressed one side is "open" and the other side is "closed", and when the switch is released the sides reverse as far as being "open" or closed", depending on the application.

With that being said, if you cut the wrong wire, you may not even be able to start your mower. Or may not be able to shut the mower off when you want to. Manufacturers are known for wiring safety switches in "circuits" (meaning multiple switches in one circuit) and having switches be used for multiple purposes to make situations like this more difficult.

If it starts just fine, you don't have enough of a charging problem to cause this. So I would definitely not worry about this. Also, I would not expect to find a factory installed fuse on any safety switch circuit.

Jason, if I understand your problem correctly, the mower dies when you pull in the steering control levers in, before you even try to move forward or reverse? Does the engine die as if you turned the ignition switch off? If the answer was yes to the previous 2 questions, it is highly likely that it is a switch but very unlikely that it is one of the steering lever switches. I would anticipate it being another switch that is left "closed" and thus when the steering levers are moved, the steering control lever switches are doing their job and complete a circuit and shut the engine off. Again, there are 2 different types of switches used, some that are open when you sit on the seat, others that close a circuit...

So, now think about your mower before, what had to be engaged, etc for the levers to kill the engine. That is most likely where your problem begins. The only switch that I can think that should be connected to the position of the steering control levers is the seat switch.

On the other hand, if the engine pulls down and dies, take it to the service center ASAP...


So a recap, DO NOT CUT WIRES AND DO NOT PERMANENTLY DISCONNECT SWITCHES!! Trust me. I have been doing this for almost 15 years.....

Good luck,
Eli

[12YearsComing]

thanks everyone. the safety switch in the seat was sticking. i checkd it several times, but the frustrated last run through of everything found it lol. got it working now, but updated this in case anyone runs into the same problem.

[Steve]

I am glad to hear you got it fixed!

For those who might run into the same issue, how do you feel you over looked that specific switch a bunch of times but then found that indeed it was the problem?

[12YearsComing]

Originally Posted by Steve

I am glad to hear you got it fixed!

For those who might run into the same issue, how do you feel you over looked that specific switch a bunch of times but then found that indeed it was the problem?

when i would lift the seat up, the pressure switch seemed to work fine. evidently, it was just out of whack enough that when i put the seat down, it was catching on something and not registering i was sitting on it. it was a, ahem, fit of frustration that caused me to feel it slide back into place under m' butt...haha. still not exactly sure but i think it was outta center and missing the plate above the switch that registers the weight, instead sliding up into the seat.