Re: Lawn Mower - Disconnecting shut off brake permanently

[Jack Hammer]

On 7/1/2012 11:40 AM, HeyBub wrote:
> fred.fl...@thecave.com wrote:
>> On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 15:26:24 -0700, mike<spa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> FIX the cable.
>>> Call me paranoid about little annoyances.
>>> All it takes is for you to be out of town when your neighbor borrows
>>> the mower.
>>
>> That wont happen. I dont lend out tools to ANYONE. I learned that
>> lesson the hard way more than once......
>
> As absurd as it sounds, you may be liable to the THIEF who STEALS your
> mower!
>
>

Am I liable if they steal my chainsaw? Those things are really dangerous
in untrained hands.

How about if I remove my wife's sissified anti-kickback chain and put
one on it that has some real teeth?

[83LowRider]

Jack Hammer wrote:

> Am I liable if they steal my chainsaw? Those things are really
> dangerous in untrained hands.
>
> How about if I remove my wife's sissified anti-kickback chain and put
> one on it that has some real teeth?

If she can start it herself and knows to mix in the oil -
- she's a keeper.

[Evan]

On Jul 1, 9:56 am, dennisga...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Sunday, July 1, 2012 9:14:25 AM UTC-4, pseudonym wrote:
> > I would rip all the safety crap off the mower so it's usable again.  If the
> > safety Nazis ask, I'd tell them that's the way it was when I bought the
> > mower at a garage sale.
>
> If you call them safety nazis, why pass the blame onto someone else? Proudly admit that YOU removed the safety equipment. What are they gonna do?
>
> No law enforcement agency is going to penalize you for removing the safety equipment. Hell, in this day and age removing it doesn't even absolve the manufacturer from liability. All you gotta do is claim that the safety equipment shouldn't have been so easily defeated, and you and your lawyer get $$$.

Wrong...

If you remove the safety devices on a piece of equipment and
then someone is hurt or worse by said machine you have
willfully engaged in "criminal negligence"... If someone is
permanently injured or maimed by your "machine" that would
be considered an act of Mayhem, a serious criminal offense
which is a felony only a few steps down from murder...
The manufacturer of the machinery was required to put the
safety devices on the machinery in order to offer the product
for sale as they were required by the regulatory authority,
there is no mandate imaginary or otherwise which requires
such safety devices to be difficult or impossible to bypass or
disable... The manufacturer would only be liable in the
way you describe if the safety devices failed and allowed
an injury to occur without any actions/repairs/modifications
made by the end user... Once you open it up and change
anything it is you the one who made the modifications that
holds all liability for whatever occurs after that point because
you willfully made those changes by means of overt acts of
removing or disabling components that were formerly
active pieces of the machine...

[denni...@gmail.com]

You'd think that, but all it takes is a good lawyer with a nice smile and a compelling argument to the contrary, and cha-ching!

What you say makes perfect sense, and that is the way it SHOULD be. However, there are examples of people being rewarded for acting stupid all over the news.

The most famous case, being the woman who spilled the McDonalds coffee on her crotch. If that's not a case of intentionally defeating safety devices and injuring yourself through your own stupidity, I don't know what is. Put a wicked-hot cup of coffee between your legs and clench... What do you think the outcome will be?

I forget his name now, but there's a local (former) politician who was "inspecting" a house under construction (actually TRESPASSING without the owner's knowledge or permission), fell off the ladder, and hurt himself. The owners thought the injury was punishment enough so they didn't press charges. He waited until the day the statute of limitations ran out and filed a lawsuit against them for his injury. He was well on his way to a healthy infusion of cash when the news got ahold of the story, and proceeding with the suit would've meant total political suicide.

[uni...@googlemail.com]

On Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 7:02:29 AM UTC+1, fred.fl...@thecave.com wrote:
> I have a push mower with a Briggs engine. It's about 4 years old. On
> the handle there is a lever that must be held down all the time to keep
> it running. I find that thing annoying to say the least. Everytime I
> had to move a garden hose or anything else on the lawn the mower would
> shut off. I finally wired that lever to the handle so the mower keeps
> running. That has worked for several years. Now the cable broke, going
> to that annoying brake/shutoff device, and since that operates a brake
> to lock the engine, I cant pull the string to start the engine.
>
> I want this thing gone. I'm not going to spend money for a new cable,
> when that thing serves no purpose other than to annoy me. How can I
> completely disable or remove that thing? I jammed a bolt in it, and the
> mower started, but the bolt fell out in less than a minute.
>
> Anyone know an easy way to disable it, or some way to permanently keep
> that thing pulled open, so the brake is not locking the engine?
>
> Yea, I know it's a safety feature, but I dont need a speech about fiing
> it. I've safely used mowers without that annoyance for many years. The
> only thing I'll not have is the shut off device. Which is as simple as
> shorting out the spark plug with a shovel, or just quickly running the
> mower into real tall grass to kill the engine. (which is what I've been
> doing since I wired that lever to the handle). Just more useless crap
> to break and irritate the user. I'm surprised they dont include a
> *required* safety belt on these push mowers too.

Petrol lawnmowers dont need a brake,they will stop in 3 seconds when ignition is cut.In fact no machine needs to be braked. Have respect for machines,and let them slow down by themselves, harsh braking puts a lot of stress on vital parts,and often cause damage to motors in electric mowers.
RS

[Dan Espen]

You think after 3 years the original poster still cares?

This wouldn't happen if you read Usenet with a news reader instead
of the botched Google Groups interface.

--
Dan Espen

[mako...@yahoo.com]

I'm surprised they dont include a
> > *required* safety belt on these push mowers too.
>
> Petrol lawnmowers dont need a brake,they will stop in 3 seconds when ignition is cut.In fact no machine needs to be braked. Have respect for machines,and let them slow down by themselves, harsh braking puts a lot of stress on vital parts,and often cause damage to motors in electric mowers.
> RS

how long does it take to read a date?

[Tony Hwang]

I never heard lawn mower brake, but clutch. My mower has that same
feature(John Deere) it does not bother me. When it's time to empty the
bag, I let go of the handle, after bag is reattached, one pull starts
again. Not such a big deal. Safety feature is not made for only you, LOL!

[Jon Danniken]

On 06/12/2015 01:15 PM, Tony Hwang wrote:
>
> I never heard lawn mower brake, but clutch. My mower has that same
> feature(John Deere) it does not bother me. When it's time to empty the
> bag, I let go of the handle, after bag is reattached, one pull starts
> again. Not such a big deal. Safety feature is not made for only you, LOL!

Mine had a crude safety feature that shorted out the coil when the
handle was released. On a Briggs I work on from time to time, it has
that, plus a clutch that consists of a flexible strap with some sort of
friction material embedded on it; when the deadman is released the coil
shuts down and the strap pulls tight against the flywheel, quickly
stopping the rotation.

I removed the safety feature on mine during maintenance, but I left it
on the Briggs because it isn't my mower.

Jon

[Ed Pawlowski]

I never look at the date. I keep my newsreader updated as ASSume the
posts are current. They should be in a perfect world.

[bob_villa]

Yes, U.S. made/sold stuff has a brake on the flywheel for safety...look it up. And this thread is nearly 3 yrs old! Doh!

[Gordon Shumway]

Umm, How Long is a Chinese name.

[Gordon Shumway]

On Fri, 12 Jun 2015 14:15:03 -0600, Tony Hwang <drag...@shaw.ca>
wrote:

>Not such a big deal. Safety feature is not made for only you, LOL!

It would be nice if safety features like these were optional not
mandated. It's amazing how much more the consumer must pay to keep the
mental midgets in the gene pool.

[fred.fl...@thecave.com]

I have a push mower with a Briggs engine. It's about 4 years old. On
the handle there is a lever that must be held down all the time to keep
it running. I find that thing annoying to say the least. Everytime I
had to move a garden hose or anything else on the lawn the mower would
shut off. I finally wired that lever to the handle so the mower keeps
running. That has worked for several years. Now the cable broke, going
to that annoying brake/shutoff device, and since that operates a brake
to lock the engine, I cant pull the string to start the engine.

I want this thing gone. I'm not going to spend money for a new cable,
when that thing serves no purpose other than to annoy me. How can I
completely disable or remove that thing? I jammed a bolt in it, and the
mower started, but the bolt fell out in less than a minute.

Anyone know an easy way to disable it, or some way to permanently keep
that thing pulled open, so the brake is not locking the engine?

Yea, I know it's a safety feature, but I dont need a speech about fiing
it. I've safely used mowers without that annoyance for many years. The
only thing I'll not have is the shut off device. Which is as simple as
shorting out the spark plug with a shovel, or just quickly running the
mower into real tall grass to kill the engine. (which is what I've been
doing since I wired that lever to the handle). Just more useless crap

to break and irritate the user. I'm surprised they dont include a

[Harry K]

I discovered jsut how useless it is. I stepped backwards one step too
far and tripped on a patio edging
. Fell backwards still hanging on to the mower. I was on the ground
before I thought to let go.

Fact: When falling in such a situation the last thing one will do is
let go of what you are holding on to. It happens too fast to take
rational action.

Harry K

[83LowRider]

fred.fl...@thecave.com wrote:

<snip>

It is simpy a 'brake shoe' that rubs against and stops the
flywheel. If you take the starter cover off it will more than
obvious how to remove it. <it simply lifts off in most cases>

If you don't have an on/off switch (if the mower only stops
by releasing the safety handle) you can get a flip lever that
bolts next to the spark plug and grounds the engine dead when
flipped. The rubber boot on the plug will need to be removed
to use this.

[hr(bob) hofmann@att.net]

On Jun 30, 9:53 am, "83LowRider" <83lowri...@nywilldo.com> wrote:

You can make a shorting switch out of an old tin can, a tinnersnips,
and a small drill. Cut the can into a piece of metal 1,inch wide by
about 5-6 inches long. Drill a hole in one end to put a cylinder head
bolt thru. Remove one of the cylinder head bolts, put the bolt thru
the metal piece, and replace the bolt. Bend the metal piece so you
can short out the spark plug with your foot, and go cut your lawn.

[Stormin Mormon]

The mowers I have worked on, when you lift the handle a little, it shorts
the coil to ground, and the motor slows on its own. The e-brake should only
be used for e's.

But, seeing as the cable is snapped, that tidbit of wisdom isn't of much
use.

I'll think on it a bit, and do better.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

[Jon Danniken]

On my Tecumseh motor, the deadman has two effects; it opens up a clutch
brake that surrounds the flywheel (a mechanical stop), and it opens up a
switch that shorts out the ignition system.

It was the first thing I modified, before I ever ran the mower. Maybe
if I had a sloped yard I would have let it be, but it is nice when to be
able to leave the mower running when I go to the porch for a drink of wawa.

Jon

[mike]

FIX the cable.
Call me paranoid about little annoyances.
All it takes is for you to be out of town when your neighbor borrows the
mower.

If anybody ever gets hurt for any reason whatsoever, guess who
goes to the front of the litigation queue. You don't have to be
guilty to be bankrupt.

Disabling safety features gives liability lawyers orgasms.

[fred.fl...@thecave.com]

On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 15:26:24 -0700, mike <spa...@gmail.com> wrote:

>FIX the cable.
>Call me paranoid about little annoyances.
>All it takes is for you to be out of town when your neighbor borrows the
>mower.

[DerbyDad03]

On Jun 30, 3:03 pm, Jon Danniken <jonSPAMdanni...@yaSMPAhoo.com>
wrote:

Just curious...

Why do you like to leave the mower running when you stop to get a
drink?

My mower takes about half a slow pull to restart once warm. Not really
worth even the small amount of work it would take to defeat the kill
mechanism.

Besides, I'd rather it be quiet when I take a break for water, but
that's just me.

[83LowRider]

hr(bob) hof...@att.net wrote:

> You can make a shorting switch out of an old tin can, a tinnersnips,
> and a small drill. Cut the can into a piece of metal 1,inch wide by
> about 5-6 inches long. Drill a hole in one end to put a cylinder head
> bolt thru. Remove one of the cylinder head bolts, put the bolt thru
> the metal piece, and replace the bolt. Bend the metal piece so you
> can short out the spark plug with your foot, and go cut your lawn.

Very true... but if one is too lazy, they can always spend
about three bucks for one.

http://www.mister-solutions.co.uk/product/cut-off-kill-switch-fits-suffolk-qualcast-punch-lawnmower-61120-p

[hr(bob) hofmann@att.net]

On Jun 30, 10:07 pm, "83LowRider" <83lowri...@nywilldo.com> wrote:

> http://www.mister-solutions.co.uk/product/cut-off-kill-switch-fits-su...

Shipping from the UK to the USA might be more than the cost of
theshorting bar.

[83LowRider]

hr(bob) hof...@att.net wrote:

> Shipping from the UK to the USA might be more than the cost of
> theshorting bar.

It certainly would. It was the first link to pop up in my search
and was a good indication of what the OP was looking for tho,
so up it went. :)

[mike]

Boy, have I heard that before...
ac·ci·dent/ˈaksidənt/
Noun:

An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and
unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.

You probably don't need insurance either. ;-)

[pseudonym]

[Vic Smith]

On 1 Jul 2012 13:14:25 GMT, pseudonym <pseu...@virtual.universe>
wrote:

>mike <spa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 6/30/2012 3:48 PM, fred.fl...@thecave.com wrote:
>>> On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 15:26:24 -0700, mike<spa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> FIX the cable.
>>>> Call me paranoid about little annoyances.
>>>> All it takes is for you to be out of town when your neighbor borrows the
>>>> mower.
>>>
>>> That wont happen. I dont lend out tools to ANYONE. I learned that
>>> lesson the hard way more than once......
>>>
>> Boy, have I heard that before...

>> ac·ci·dent/?aksid?nt/

>> Noun:
>>
>> An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and
>> unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.
>>
>> You probably don't need insurance either. ;-)
>
>I would rip all the safety crap off the mower so it's usable again. If the
>safety Nazis ask, I'd tell them that's the way it was when I bought the
>mower at a garage sale.

Nobody's going to ask. Nobody really cares if you disable safety gear
and cut your foot off. They make these laws so manufacturers make
it safe it in the first place. Also protects the manufacturers from
lawsuits.
After that, nobody cares. Darwin takes over.
But as said above, if somebody else gets hurt, you might be liable.
It's up yo you and Darwin.

--
Vic

[denni...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, June 30, 2012 2:02:29 AM UTC-4, (unknown) wrote:
> Anyone know an easy way to disable it, or some way to permanently keep
> that thing pulled open, so the brake is not locking the engine?

Take the broken-off end of the cable and tie it off somewhere.

[denni...@gmail.com]

On Sunday, July 1, 2012 9:14:25 AM UTC-4, pseudonym wrote:
> I would rip all the safety crap off the mower so it's usable again. If the
> safety Nazis ask, I'd tell them that's the way it was when I bought the
> mower at a garage sale.

If you call them safety nazis, why pass the blame onto someone else? Proudly admit that YOU removed the safety equipment. What are they gonna do?

No law enforcement agency is going to penalize you for removing the safety equipment. Hell, in this day and age removing it doesn't even absolve the manufacturer from liability. All you gotta do is claim that the safety equipment shouldn't have been so easily defeated, and you and your lawyer get $$$.

[HeyBub]

As absurd as it sounds, you may be liable to the THIEF who STEALS your
mower!

[Jon Danniken]

Neither lend nor ask to borrow
Things will still be there tomorrow

Overnight, another day
Another dollar I shall not pay

Jon

[Jon Danniken]

On 06/30/2012 07:19 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> On Jun 30, 3:03 pm, Jon Danniken <jonSPAMdanni...@yaSMPAhoo.com>
>

>> On my Tecumseh motor, the deadman has two effects; it opens up a clutch
>> brake that surrounds the flywheel (a mechanical stop), and it opens up a
>> switch that shorts out the ignition system.
>>
>> It was the first thing I modified, before I ever ran the mower. Maybe
>> if I had a sloped yard I would have let it be, but it is nice when to be
>> able to leave the mower running when I go to the porch for a drink of wawa.
>>
>> Jon
>
> Just curious...
>
> Why do you like to leave the mower running when you stop to get a
> drink?
>
> My mower takes about half a slow pull to restart once warm. Not really
> worth even the small amount of work it would take to defeat the kill
> mechanism.
>
> Besides, I'd rather it be quiet when I take a break for water, but
> that's just me.

How long does it take you to drink water? I keep the bottle in the
shade by the front door, and with the mower on the side of the house it
takes maybe 30 seconds, at the very most, to walk over, drink, and walk
back.

But that's just me.

Besides, I have to short out the plug to turn it off, so it's just
easier to keep it going.

Jon

[Uncle Monster]

I could happen in San Francisco with the Progressive Liberal Leftist Commiecrat Freaks running that bizarre place where the city government is on its way to outlawing sugar in soft drinks. O_o

[8~{} Uncle Safety Monster

[Uncle Monster]

On Friday, June 12, 2015 at 1:47:24 PM UTC-5, net cop wrote:

> uni...@googlemail.com writes:
>
> > On Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 7:02:29 AM UTC+1, fred.fl...@thecave.com wrote:

> > Petrol lawnmowers dont need a brake,they will stop in 3 seconds when
> > ignition is cut.In fact no machine needs to be braked. Have respect
> > for machines,and let them slow down by themselves, harsh braking puts
> > a lot of stress on vital parts,and often cause damage to motors in
> > electric mowers.
>

> You think after 3 years the original poster still cares?
>
> This wouldn't happen if you read Usenet with a news reader instead
> of the botched Google Groups interface.
>
> --
> Dan Espen

Dang! I missed it again! Perhaps it the drugs the nurse gave me? 8-)

[8~{} Uncle Inattentive Monster

[Stormin Mormon]

And you demonstrated your usenet skills by full quoting.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.

[Stormin Mormon]

And Unattentive Monster also full quoted.

[Uncle Monster]

I believe all tools, ladders, appliances, transportation and items used every day should be as dangerous as possible in order to thin the human herd. Dumbasses would be weeded out rather quickly and overall intelligence of the population would increase. Of course recycling of corpses would be necessary for at least a generation due to the great numbers of them that the country would have to deal with during the culling phase. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Dangerous Monster

[wbd...@gmail.com]

Jon, how did you modify the brake and kill system on yours? My Tecumseh is the same way.

[Oren]

On Sun, 15 May 2016 12:34:10 -0700 (PDT), wbd...@gmail.com wrote:

>Jon, how did you modify the brake and kill system on yours? My Tecumseh is the same way.

Tools?

[Taxed and Spent]

not me. I just wrapped some copper wire around the "dead man" bar.

[Gordon Shumway]

Did you just call me a tool?!

[Micky]

On Sun, 15 May 2016 12:34:10 -0700 (PDT), wbd...@gmail.com wrote:

>Jon, how did you modify the brake and kill system on yours? My Tecumseh is the same way.

The same way as what? In what way? When you google people going to
learn to quote what you're replying to or to write a decent post?

[Tekkie®]

Gordon Shumway posted for all of us...

Be proud of your tool. Are you a tool for the good orrrr the dark side?
Everyone here is tool; either for enlightenment or a nut twister.

--
Tekkie

[wesleyjo...@gmail.com]

Take the fuel tank and air filter housing off. To hell with draining the fuel it's too expensive.
Remove the metal shroud from over top the flywheel. it might look like there is more to it than just the screws you can see. But the metal screen in the middle of the flywheel shroud (cover) is usually pretty thin and you can work the shroud out from around it and not damage the metal screen. It's pretty self explanatory how to straighten it out again.
Then from the handle follow the cable it controls to the engine. It will be attached to a bracket and it controls another piece of metal that when you squeeze the handle it pushes into yet another piece of metal that touches the side of the flywheel and in turn grounds out the electrical circuit and kills the fire to the spark plug. That piece that touches the flywheel Will get stuck inside of a slot between the two magnets on the flywheel that's the break. remove the screw from the break and the break will come off that will fix it so it doesn't shut off.

In order to cut the mower off without letting it run out of gas you need to do a little redneck riggin.
First take the moving parts off all the brackets I mentioned earlier. Mainly the break it's self and the spring attached to it. Remove the arm on the bracket that the cable controls or just take the whole assembly off as long as it doesn't interfere with any other engine components. The thin piece of copper on that bracket needs to be taken off and the wire that is attached to it don't destroy the wire.

If you don't know what the coil/magneto is it is the sort of u shaped thing directly next to the flywheel and should have two wires coming out of it.
the big wire goes straight to the spark plug leave it there.
Follow the small wire from the coil to the end. make the wire longer by putting more on it try to use the same gauge wire if possible.
Then you can run it down to the mower deck and attach it somehow so that the wire doesn't ground out when you don't want it to.
Then all you have to do is a reach down and hold the wire to the mower deck till it stops running.
If you want a manual kill switch you can run that small wire to the top of the handle and attach a toggle switch to it and on the other wire on the switch run a wire back down the handle and attach it to the mower deck ( pre drill a hole and wrap the wire around a screw and tighten it).
Flip the switch and it cuts off.

[Stormin Mormon]

It's been a long time since I worked on a walk behind
mower with a mechanical brake. I remember being told
to lift the safety handle just enough so the electric
system turns off, but not enough so the brake activates.
If yours is like this, there is already an electrical
shut off.

--

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

ALL lawnmowers with safety brakes have ekectrical shutoffs.

[Stormin Mormon]

On 7/18/2016 8:04 AM, cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:
> On Mon, 18 Jul 2016 07:11:38 -0400, Stormin Mormon

>> It's been a long time since I worked on a walk behind
>> mower with a mechanical brake. I remember being told
>> to lift the safety handle just enough so the electric
>> system turns off, but not enough so the brake activates.
>> If yours is like this, there is already an electrical
>> shut off.
> ALL lawnmowers with safety brakes have ekectrical shutoffs.
>

That helps clear up my ignorance and confusion. Thanks.

[tonyto...@gmail.com]

Does anybody know why it's so hard to turn the motor on a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower

[Bill]

tonyto...@gmail.com wrote:
> Does anybody know why it's so hard to turn the motor on a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower

Easy--compression. Remove the spark plug and you'll likely notice a big
difference!

[scrap...@gmail.com]

hard as in almost impossible or heavy drag?

[scrap...@gmail.com]

Sounds to me like your flywheel brake is engaged.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Thu, 11 May 2017 18:35:53 -0700 (PDT), tonyto...@gmail.com
wrote:

>Does anybody know why it's so hard to turn the motor on a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower

Likely because the blade brake is on?

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Thu, 11 May 2017 21:55:07 -0400, Bill <BILL_...@whoknows.net>
wrote:

Not if the handle isn't pulled to the run position and the blade
brake is on. Any lawn mower with the briggs and stratton name on the
mowwr - not the engine - was made since blade brakes have been
mandatory.

[Bill]

That's interesting to know. At least my suggestion would have provided
additional information about the problem (when it was difficult to pull
the cord without a sparkplug...) ; )

[Oren]

On Thu, 11 May 2017 18:35:53 -0700 (PDT), tonyto...@gmail.com
wrote:

>Does anybody know why it's so hard to turn the motor on a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower

Did you overfill it with oil?

[kpitar...@gmail.com]

Just take the blower housing off and completely remove the flywheel break. It completely defeats the purpose of that cord and you'll just have to pull the boot off the spark plug to kill the engine.

[richie rae]

replying to fred.flintstone, richie rae wrote:
you can control the on /off with trolle back to start off forward to turn on.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/lawn-mower-disconnecting-shut-off-brake-permanently-702883-.htm

[Tekkie®]

richie rae posted for all of us...

Huh?

--
Tekkie

[63tat...@gmail.com]

I care cuz i have the same problem and came here for info