You can, yes, but it's not advisable. The manufacturers of ride-on lawn mowers incorporate safety devices into the starter circuit to minimise the risk of injury in the use of the equipment.
Bypass the switch with a jumper & see if you can bump it with a hot wire.
Like any power switch you have Power in, Ground, Switched Power out and the Switch Terminal.
your starter is pulling too much energy from your battery. Either the battery is too small or your starter needs attention.
which 42" Craftsman riding mower is made by Huskvarna
Could be -battery dead -ignition switch broken -safety switches not working -solenoid switch not working -brushes bad in starter -gear warn out on starter -starter motor dirty -starter no good -belts to tight on deck any of the above.
Look for loose connections at the battery, starter solenoid, starter and switch. If all connections are good, the starter solenoid probably needs to be replaced.
Generally the ignition switch activates headlights on a riding mower and the start position only send current to the starter solenoid. If you turn the key and the engine cranks over than the lack of spark is going to be something else. If it is a riding mower you will have several safety switches to prevent start up under unsafe conditions.
battery, solenoid, starter, engines locked up from overheating, or a bad switch (IE seat brake deck blade engagement swithces)
The engine kill switch is under the seat.
You should be able to turn the starter with little effort when it is not engaged with the flywheel.
If this is a riding mower and it has a key to shut it off then the problem could be a few things. The ignition switch could be bad. Some switches ground through the mounting of the switch. Make sure the switch is tightly mounted. Make sure the wires a securely plugged onto the back of the switch. Then make sure that the black wire that goes behind the starter is plugged in solid. If it is a push mower then it is something totally different.
The safety switch to start the motor on a Ranchking riding mower is located in the ignition. If the clutch needs to be depressed several times before the mower will start, there might be a problem with the adjustment of the clutch.