Mower buyers beware!

[+subby1]

Some of my recent work has been on NEW mowers that employed safety switches that make the mower virtually IMPOSSIBLE to even crank!!! In this litigious society we live in, mower companies have had to employ new things without thinking about the consequences of what they have done as a result. I am talking about mowers that almost do NOT even crank because of stupid "solutions" to disclaim themselves from law suits. Dear Lord in Heaven!!!!! I can't believe some of the crap I have had come into the shop.....almost NEW mowers. Warped decks, ill-thought out safety measures that render the mower useless, and so on.

 

Bad engineering.....and I oughta know, as a former engineer. If your mower is still on warranty, then by all means, raise hell. If it has already lapsed, then bring it to me and I'll gladly remove the STUPIDITY measures that were employed, for very little money involved. I am scratching my head more and more, as I see this. These are AMERICAN made machines, and they make us look like idiots compared to countries who are less litigious...and also tend to keep their companies within family, thus making better and better products. Our nation is hell-bent on hiring out-of-school newbies to design products for 12 bux an hour. You get what you pay for.

 

Yes......this is a VENT!!!!! Our nation needs to get its senior techs back to work!!!!

[Gray_Wolf]

These safety features maybe a pain. It keeps the lawsuits down. Sad that people do not teach their kids the right way to use things. I have issues with spray bottles. However, I do not spray window cleaner or easy-off into my eyes or nose.

 

Where would you stand if someone got hurt after you removed a safety feature for them?

 

G. Wolf

[bvrat5199]

I'm feeling your pain. My new top of the line riding mower has been in for warrenty work 3 times due to piss poor design, one more and they have to give me my money back so I'm praying it breaks soon.

[Guard dad]

Some of the safety features make sense, some are ridiculous.

 

Unfortunately, we now live in a society where it's always someone else's fault. If I spill hot coffee in my lap, it's Mickey Dee's fault. If I drag my lawnmower over my foot, it's the manufacturer's fault. If I use a hair dryer while in the bathtub and electrocute myself, it's the maker's fault. We don't take responsibility for being stupid anymore.

 

Given this, the manufacturers have to protect themselves by sticking as many crazy safety gadgets on their stuff as they can. And we pay for this; not only are these things added into the cost, we have to put up with the silly stuff.

[The Sound Guy]

Our nation is hell-bent on hiring out-of-school newbies to design products for 12 bux an hour. You get what you pay for.

 

I swear you hit the head with this one....

 

Our company makes $100,000+ communications equipment and I swear I think the mechanicals were done by some co-op from the local trade school. Inserting and removing the modules is a royal pain. Guess what the *customer* does the most of? Hint: It's not troubleshooting at the chip level. He swaps out failed modules.

 

It's nutz.

 

 

 

[+subby1]

These safety features maybe a pain. It keeps the lawsuits down. Sad that people do not teach their kids the right way to use things. I have issues with spray bottles. However, I do not spray window cleaner or easy-off into my eyes or nose.

 

Where would you stand if someone got hurt after you removed a safety feature for them?

 

G. Wolf

 

I don't ever remove any safety features, if they are deemed as necessary, and only then if the customer insists....I can tell them how to do it themselves.

 

Example- most people HATE the reverse switch on new riders- if your cutting blades are on, and you put it in reverse, the engine will die. My customers literally SCREAM when this happens. Some have even though their mower was broken. This is one of the DUMB things I am talking about. You are only using reverse long enough to back up a few feet, yet you have to disengage the blades, back up, then turn them on again. EVERY time to engage and disengage the blades, you are wearing on them. So this nifty little feature insures one thing- that you'll have to buy more belts more often. Some of these things offer NOTHING for safety, but help wear things out so you have to buy MORE of their products. So, not every safety feature is necessarily what it seems.

 

Also, people buy used mowers all day long at yard sales and flea markets with ALL the safety junk removed. But there's no plethora of law suits hitting up the courts about it.