Fuse blows as soon as the switch is moved to the "on" position. There is a switch on the mower deck I unplugged and one on the clutch pedal that I unplugged individually and that did not help. The only items left are is a component below the switch that is between the positive terminal on the battery and the starter, the switch, and the starter itself. Are there some tests I can make with my multimeter to find out which of these items are causing the problem?

Hi,
My guess is the swich is shorted internally. It is only a guess, but it is where I would go next. Give a model number and I may be able to tell you how to test or at least the part number.
Peace,
Clarke

Hi,
My guess is the swich is shorted internally. It is only a guess, but it is where I would go next. Give a model number and I may be able to tell you how to test or at least the part number.
Peace,
Clarke

You're right in a sense. It was a dead short at the switch, but a wiring goof on my part, in part.
When I removed the battery for replacement I put a black wire from the switch on the negative terminal of the battery. After revealing the wire harness and drawing a schematic I realized the black wire needed to be on the positive post of the battery. I've since tagged the wire and no one should make this mistake again. Thanks for responding.