Am I stupid, or something?

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  • leehljp
    Just me
    • Dec 2002
    • 8429
    • Tunica, MS
    • BT3000/3100

    Am I stupid, or something?

    Don't answer that!

    I purchased a Husqvarna 21" trim mower this spring and just got a recall on it. The recall says:

    "The operator presence bail can fail causing the engine to remain on and the blades to continue to rotate. An individual who is not aware that the blades continue to run after the bail is released, may reach under the mower deck to clear a clog or other debris and come in contact with the rotating blades. This creates a risk of laceration or amputation of digits or limbs."

    Am I stupid to assume that there are people alive that could hear the motor running and still put their hands under it?

    Frankly, that warning kinda insulted my intelligence!

    Now I fully understand that a defect "presence bail" that will not kill the engine like it should when released - should be replaced. But to warn that a running engine . . .
    Hank Lee

    Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!
  • LinuxRandal
    Veteran Member
    • Feb 2005
    • 4889
    • Independence, MO, USA.
    • bt3100

    #2
    Lets see, there used to be some high end mowers that had a blade that only ran when a bar was held.
    Had a beer salesman I knew, that decided to reach into a snow blower that was jammed, to clear it (arm reattachment surgery followed).
    Liability, lawsuits and common sense, don't go hand in hand the way you think they should.
    She couldn't tell the difference between the escape pod, and the bathroom. We had to go back for her.........................Twice.

    Comment

    • LCHIEN
      Internet Fact Checker
      • Dec 2002
      • 20914
      • Katy, TX, USA.
      • BT3000 vintage 1999

      #3
      you'd be surprised what people sue for, claiming they were too stupid to know not to do this or that and there should have been warning. Being stupid entitles you to collect large damage awards.

      What was the name of the guy that cut his fingers off on the Ryobi saw and may cost the rest of us hundreds of dollars each as a result of litigation and resulting legal requirements for saws?

      Carlos Osorio.
      Loring in Katy, TX USA
      If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
      BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

      Comment

      • Knottscott
        Veteran Member
        • Dec 2004
        • 3815
        • Rochester, NY.
        • 2008 Shop Fox W1677

        #4
        Do you recall the old adage that suggests that "stupid people shouldn't breed"? Well, giving them everything they need to survive with no effort provides ample opportunity and encouragement to do just that......that recall is the result of several generations of stupid people breeding....
        Happiness is sort of like wetting your pants....everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth.

        Comment

        • Sparky2002
          Forum Newbie
          • Oct 2007
          • 41
          • Chester County, PA
          • BT3000

          #5
          I work with an engineer who placed his hands under a running mower to clear a clog. And worse yet he is an eagle scout. It happens.
          -Shawn

          Comment

          • Pappy
            The Full Monte
            • Dec 2002
            • 10453
            • San Marcos, TX, USA.
            • BT3000 (x2)

            #6
            Several years a go a man sued, and won, because there wasn't a warning that it was dangerous to pick up a running mower and use it as a hedge trimmer.

            People are that stupid!
            Don, aka Pappy,

            Wise men talk because they have something to say,
            Fools because they have to say something.
            Plato

            Comment

            • bmyers
              Veteran Member
              • Jun 2003
              • 1371
              • Fishkill, NY
              • bt 3100

              #7
              Easy on yourself man.. That warning and recall wasn't for you personally. If that were my mower, I'd be more than happy to return it and thank them for fixing it. Here is why, I have an 11 yr old son who's NUTZ. He's one of those "I wonder what would happen if?" kids.

              Side story: I was demonstrating the safety features on my ride on mower to LOML. I was telling my her it's safe for my nutz-o son to mow the lawn because if he falls off the mower shuts down. There is a safety switch under the seat.
              I got off the mower and it kept on running!!

              My credibility with LOML took a big-o-steamy-dump right there in the nice tall green grass.

              -B
              Last edited by bmyers; 08-01-2014, 09:06 AM.
              "Why are there Braille codes on drive-up ATM machines?"

              Comment

              • woodturner
                Veteran Member
                • Jun 2008
                • 2047
                • Western Pennsylvania
                • General, Sears 21829, BT3100

                #8
                Originally posted by leehljp

                "The operator presence bail can fail causing the engine to remain on and the blades to continue to rotate.
                Is releasing the bail supposed to kill the engine or just stop the blade rotation? I've had mowers that worked both ways - and if a person thought it was just stopping the blade rotation, the running engine would not clue him in.
                --------------------------------------------------
                Electrical Engineer by day, Woodworker by night

                Comment

                • cwsmith
                  Veteran Member
                  • Dec 2005
                  • 2737
                  • NY Southern Tier, USA.
                  • BT3100-1

                  #9
                  Lee,

                  Please believe me when I say that, as a technical writer, one never should over estimate the intelligence of the user! I've got a few decades of writing and you really can't assume much of anything when it comes to the operator of equipment.

                  That is especially true in this day and age! How many people do you see with their heads plugged into their electronics, usually with the volume so high that that they are totally unaware of any other sounds? So, a manufacturer almost has to presume that the users of their equipment are "deaf, dumb, and blind".

                  Look at the recent decision, and ever lasting discussions of the lawsuit against Ryobi, where an untrained guy shoved his hand into the saw blade! NO blade guard, no training, no proper oversight from his contractor-boss, and even though the safety equipment had been installed by the manufacturer (Ryobi).... they still lost in court!



                  CWS
                  Think it Through Before You Do!

                  Comment

                  • leehljp
                    Just me
                    • Dec 2002
                    • 8429
                    • Tunica, MS
                    • BT3000/3100

                    #10
                    Originally posted by woodturner
                    Is releasing the bail supposed to kill the engine or just stop the blade rotation? I've had mowers that worked both ways - and if a person thought it was just stopping the blade rotation, the running engine would not clue him in.
                    It is supposed to kill the engine.
                    Hank Lee

                    Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

                    Comment

                    • Bill in Buena Park
                      Veteran Member
                      • Nov 2007
                      • 1865
                      • Buena Park, CA
                      • CM 21829

                      #11
                      Hank, I have to believe that several situations could impact whether you could hear the motor running, such as hearing impairment (either physical or through hearing protection), if you have competing noises (such as when two or more from a lawn care service work together and may have a leaf blower, hedge trimmer, etc. running at the same time.)

                      My bandsaw runs amazingly smoothly (lucky break, not my doing). Back when I used to use my shopvac for the dust collection, I couldn't hear the bandsaw running over the din of the shopvac (and through my hearing protectors), and unless I hear the bandsaw running and see the blade going, I can forget its on. This happened - only once - when I thought I had a clogged hose, forgot I had already turned on the saw, and put my hand under the table to see if there was good airflow to the DC port (which happens to be right next to the blade.) Fingertips contacted the running blade, likely should have had stitches, and all is well now - but a stupid, careless mistake because I thought "if I can't hear it, it can't be on". So you know I now don't trust my hearing and always check that the saw has no power and no moving parts before putting fingers in risky places.
                      Bill in Buena Park

                      Comment

                      • phrog
                        Veteran Member
                        • Jul 2005
                        • 1796
                        • Chattanooga, TN, USA.

                        #12
                        Perhaps, they were thinking of the deaf when they wrote that. Just because you are deaf would not prevent you from mowing.
                        Richard

                        Comment

                        • Bruce Cohen
                          Veteran Member
                          • May 2003
                          • 2698
                          • Nanuet, NY, USA.
                          • BT3100

                          #13
                          This is exactly why I live in a Condo development. "No grass or fingers to cut." I got enough on my plate with the table saw.
                          "Western civilization didn't make all men equal,
                          Samuel Colt did"

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