Patent ID: 8919087
Filing Date: 2014-12-30
Classification: A01D

Abstract:
1. An improved mower of the type having a mower frame, a rotary cutting deck carried by the frame, a height of cut system for vertically moving the cutting deck upwardly and downwardly relative to the frame to adjust the height of cut of the grass, wherein the height of cut system comprises a plurality of pivotal suspension linkages connecting the cutting deck to the frame, a single pivotal control lever pivotally carried on the frame with pivoting of the control lever causing joint and corresponding pivoting motion in all the suspension linkages, and a height selection bracket fixed to the frame and coacting with the pivotal control lever to set and maintain the control lever in different pivotal positions corresponding to different heights of cut, wherein the improvement relates to the height of cut adjustment system and comprises: a) a latch movably carried on the height of selection bracket for latching the control lever in a maximum height of cut position; b) a handle movably carried on the height of selection bracket for moving the latch out of engagement with the control lever when the operator slides the handle in a first direction on the height of selection bracket; c) at least one spring that biases the latch into a position in which the latch engages the control lever and that biases the handle in a direction opposite to the first direction in which the operator slides the handle to release the latch; and d) a locking slot into which the operator can move the handle after the handle is first moved by the operator in the first direction sufficiently to release the latch, wherein the operator can move the handle into the locking slot by movement of the handle in a second direction that is different than the first direction with the bias of the spring retaining the handle in the locking slot thereafter to thereby disable the operation of the latch until the handle is moved back out of the locking slot by the operator.