Seat safety switches - which switch is which?

[Mark_BX25D]

Saturday I was using my BX25D, and the tach was lying to me. It was reading WAAAY low. But things were working normally otherwise.

Then it suddenly decided to start running poorly, like fuel starvation. I thought that was a bit strange because I had put a new fuel filter on a week ago, and I do have a filter in my fuel filler.

Anyway, I headed back to its parking spot but I didn't make it. It died on the way. I tried to restart and it would not even crank. Nuthin. Battery voltage was 12.62. That should turn it over, or at least try. Nope. Nothing.

Hmmm. Maybe not fuel, maybe a safety switch?

I poked around under the hood looking for anything obvious. Found the alternator belt was way loose. I tightened that up, but the sun had abandoned me, so I buttoned thing up until this evening.

Time and weather constraints kept me away from it for a few days, but I got to it today. I made up a couple of jumpers and bypassed the two switches under the seat. The grey one had some mud-dauber gunk in it. I cleaned them both up installed my jumpers (ONLY for diagnostic purposes!) and it fired right up.

So, I pulled one jumper and put the switch back. Hmmm. Fires right up. Reconnected the second switch, and it fired right up.


About that time I realized that I had blown it by not trying to start it before I messed with the switches, just to be sure things were the way I left them. Dummy.

All that to say, there's a gray switch and a black switch. The wiring diagram shows a Seat switch (#2 on the diagram) and a Seat Turn Over switch (#3 on the diagram).

Which is which?

And can anyone shed any light on this situation? Did the mud dauber mess cause all of that??? The alternator belt? I can't see how that could be related.

 

[Bee-Positive]

Mud daubers likely, not sure which switch is which though.

Do a load test on the battery, with a loose belt it may not have been charging properly.
You can read 12.62 volts no load and half that with a load from trying to start.
I use a cheap HF load tester and get pretty good results from it. Has saved a lot of head scratching.

 

[85Hokie]

Mark,

Those two switches are there for the movement while NOT on the seat and movement when the seat is turned around 180 degrees.

I have my "black" one zip tied down so when I am in backhoe mode and seat is turned I can use a 3 foot stick to push on the HST pedal and move forward a bit after raising the FEL . I know, I know - safety gurus will frown but.......

 

[GreensvilleJay]

^^^ but you did use a yellow SAFETY tierap to warn others !!

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Mark,

Those two switches are there for the movement while NOT on the seat and movement when the seat is turned around 180 degrees.

I have my "black" one zip tied down so when I am in backhoe mode and seat is turned I can use a 3 foot stick to push on the HST pedal and move forward a bit after raising the FEL . I know, I know - safety gurus will frown but.......

View attachment 170643

That yellow safety zip tie makes it all okay and just fine!

But you didn't answer my question! Which one is which???



BTW, it's pretty easy to make a jumper for those beasts. About 3" of 18-16 gauge wire (length not critical*) and a couple of .250 male quick disconnects. Unplug the connector, and push the jumper ends in place. Leave the switch where it is if you want to keep track of it. If you put it away carefully in your garage, it will find a black hole and be gone forever. (Or until you have bought a replacement, of course.)

Good for diagnostics purposes, and if'n I were going to disable one of those switches, that's what I'd do. Jumper it over, add a cable tie to keep things tidy, and of course, use yellow for safety!

*If it's too short, it's difficult to make the 180 degree turn. Too much and it's in the way. 2.5 to 3 inches seems optimal.

 

[85Hokie]

Well the black one allows the movement of the tractor WHEN THE seat is reversed.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

I use a cheap HF load tester and get pretty good results from it. Has saved a lot of head scratching.

Yeah, I need to pick one of those up one of these days....

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Well the black one allows the movement of the tractor WHEN THE seat is reversed.

Then I'm guessing it's #3, the "Seat Turn Over" switch, rather than #2, the "Seat" switch.

It would be nice if the wiring diagram would give a clue!

 

[Russell King]

Well the black one allows the movement of the tractor WHEN THE seat is reversed.

@Mark_BX25D
I think this means that the black switch is the operator presence switch that allows the tractor to stay running when the HST pedal is moved out of the neutral position.

You should be able to to figure it out by bypassing one switch and seeing if the tractor can be moved with no one in the seat. Do so CAREFULLY so you don’t get run over.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Yes, I'll experiment and report back. I'll probably get to it Saturday.