RE: [SPAM] Re: (ET) Electric Ox Review

["Chris Tromley" <chris_t microtrac com>]

Chris Zach wrote:

> john briese wrote:
> > Even in large production $900-1000.00 is not reasonable....
> > You're forgetting the lawyers!   $2500-$3000
> > John
> Oh poo. Sears sells a 16 HP tractor for $900 that will *explode* if you
> light the gas tank.

Ah yes.

For us engineers, the Product Liability Follies are a constant source of
entertainment.

I think the reason the exploding tractor only costs $900 is that there are
millions of them out there and most people know they will explode.  The
public has gradually come to understand that throwing a match in the gas
tank can put a damper on your day.  Common knowledge and a huge market make
for a reasonably low insurance cost per unit.

Average consumer:
"And now you want me, Mr. John Q. Public, to buy an ee-lectrical lawn
tractor?  Why, that's not just unusual, it's downright *weird*.  How'm I
gonna know it's running if it don't make no noise?  Sounds dangerous!  
Makes
me feel all disoriented just thinking about it."

You laugh, but it's not far from the truth.  In a design class our
instructor told us that every spring and summer Black & Decker gets hit 
with
lawsuits for a variety of injuries.

One of the common ones is the guy who thinks, "Hmmm, this here push mower
being electric, maybe I can just hoist it up and use it to trim my hedges."
Our intrepid consumer tapes the safety handle, reaches down and picks up 
the
mower by the edge of the deck.  Of course while doing this his fingers wrap
around and into the path of the blade.  And of course this yahoo won't win
his case, *but these cases do make it to court and have to be defended.*

The instructor then asks, "How can we, as engineers, prevent this
occurrence?"  (Some wag in the back of the room yells, "Put handles on it!"
Laughter ensues.)

See, the injured party thinks B&D is "at fault" because the mower is
electric just like his hedge trimmer, and it's light enough to lift.  The
same kind of idiotic reasoning will be applied to electric tractors - if
it's a tractor, it's supposed to behave as all tractors are expected to
behave.  In other words, anything sufficiently different is an invitation
for liability suits.

So what's the real answer to the instructor's question?  Nothing can be
done.  You can't make anything foolproof, because fools are too clever.

Chris