Patent ID: 7624996
Filing Date: 2009-12-01
Classification: A01D

Abstract:
1. A walk-behind lawn mower comprising: an engine for driving at least one cutting blade; a sulky attached to the mower, wherein the sulky comprises a substantially vertical pivot axis structure which is aligned substantially vertical relative to the ground during normal sulky operation when the sulky trails behind the mower, wherein a foot platform of the sulky pivots relative to a front arm of the sulky about a pivot axis defined by the substantially vertical pivot axis structure; a latch assembly for coupling a protruding member of the sulky to a spring-biased latch of the latch assembly when the sulky is folded up from a deployed position to a stowed position so that the latch assembly of the mower can hold the folded-up sulky in the stowed position; wherein the protruding member extends outwardly from a body of the sulky so that at least a distal end of the protruding member defines an angle θ of from about 30 to 70 degrees with the vertical pivot axis of the sulky; and wherein the protruding member of the sulky is directly coupled to the spring-biased latch when the sulky is folded up in a stowed position, but the protruding member of the sulky is not directly coupled to the spring-biased latch when the sulky is in a deployed position during normal sulky operation when the sulky is trailing behind the mower.