Mower deck mounting system

A front mounted mower deck includes a mounting and support assembly for operably joining the deck to a motorized vehicle. The mounting and support assembly includes a pair of pusher bars swivelly attached at one end to the deck and at the opposite end to the vehicle. A hanger is pivotally mounted on each pusher bar and includes a slot which receives a slot follower mounted on the deck to allow articulation from side to side by movement of the slot followers in the slots. Each hanger is biased to maintain an associated slot follower in the slot therefor. However, the hanger can be manually manipulated to overcome the biasing force so that the slot followers are released from the slots, thereby allowing the deck to be rotated about the connection with the pusher bars to provide for cleaning, maintenance, etc. A height adjustment mechanism cooperates with the mounting and support assembly to allow simultaneous adjustment of the mower cutting height on both sides of the front and back of the mower from a single location.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to a front mounted mower deck and, in 
particular, to a mower deck mounting system and suspension that cooperate 
with a motorized vehicle to allow the mower deck to follow the contour of 
the ground being traversed by the mower from both side to side and back to 
front, yet allow the deck to be easily raised to allow for repair, 
maintenance and cleaning and allow the cutting height of the deck to be 
adjusted at a single location. 
Front mounted mowers are commercially available in many different types. 
For example, front mounted mowers are available for attachment to ATVs, 
tractors and perhaps the most commonly are manufactured in conjunction 
with a self propelled, single purpose dedicated vehicle for propelling the 
mower. 
Because such front mounted mowers are effectively pushed by some type of 
driving or motorized vehicle, linkage must be provided to connect the 
mower to the drive vehicle that both is firm enough in nature to 
effectively push the mower across the surface to be mowed, but does not 
allow the mower to rise in front during cutting which would present a 
substantial hazard to persons operating the device or other persons in the 
immediate vicinity of the mower. 
Furthermore, it is desirable that the mower be able to articulate about the 
center thereof. That is that the mower be able to swing from side to side 
and from front to back independent of the drive vehicle in conformance 
with the contour of the terrain being traversed by the mower, so that the 
mower can cut at a relatively even level without leaving some grass 
extremely long and other grass scalped to the ground. 
Front mounted mowers have been provided in the past that have at least some 
degree of flexibility. However, it is also desirable that front mounted 
mowers be able to be raised so that the underside is exposed for 
maintenance, repair or cleaning thereof. The mowers that have provided 
some degree of articulation in the past have been associated with 
relatively complex cumbersome apparatus for allowing the mower to be 
raised to an upright position. Most frequently, a substantial part of the 
mower must be disassembled in order to easily raise the mower to an 
upright or maintenance configuration. 
Other front mounted mowers have provided a system for allowing the mower 
deck to be raised comparatively easily, but have done so at the expense of 
flexibility and are able to be articulated in only a single dimension or 
not at all. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a front mounted mower 
deck which has the combined features of being able to be easily raised or 
flipped to an upright position for maintenance or the like, yet allowing 
the deck to also follow the contour of the ground in two dimensions. 
It is also highly desirable that a user of the device be able to manipulate 
the mower deck from a cutting configuration to a raised maintenance 
configuration by relatively quick and easy operations and without the need 
for tools. 
Another feature associated with front deck mowers that can be extremely 
troublesome is the height adjustment for the cutting blades relative to 
the ground. For proper adjustment, the height must be able to be set both 
in the front and back on both sides of the device. On many mower 
structures, this means that four separate adjustments must be made and 
with some mowers this even requires tools in order to loosen adjustment 
screws or the like to reset the height. Consequently, it is also desirable 
to have a height adjustment mechanism which operates at a single location, 
especially from a single handle or the like, and which allows a user of 
the mower to quickly and efficiently readjust the cutting height for the 
mower from a single location and without the need for tools. 
Finally, it is preferable that the height adjustment mechanism be able to 
work in cooperation with the mounting linkage to allow the height 
adjustments to be made while still maintaining flexibility with the 
ability to articulate from side to side at the back end of the structure. 
Such cooperation allows three main advantages to be associated with the 
deck which are that the deck is ground following, that the deck is easily 
raised to a maintenance position and that the deck has a highly efficient 
height adjustment which is controllable from a single location to all be 
incorporated into a single mower deck. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A front mounted mower deck includes mounting and support assembly for 
quickly joining the deck to a motorized vehicle. The assembly includes a 
pair of push bars having down hangers and a cooperating lift bar. The push 
bars pivotally attach to the mower deck. The down hangers depend from the 
push bars and each bar has a vertical slot therein. The lift bar is 
pivotally attached to and extends laterally along the rear of the mower 
deck. The lift bar includes a pair of lever arm mounted slot followers 
that are each cooperatively captured in a respective slot during 
operation, so as to allow the rear of the mower deck to articulate from 
side to side and from front to back by movement of the slot followers in 
their respective slots. 
The hangers are spring biased to push against the slot followers during 
operation to maintain the slot followers in the slots. However, the 
hangers can be manipulated by simple application of manual pressure by an 
operator to swing the hangers and allow release of the slot followers from 
the slots through openings therein, such that the mower deck can then be 
easily rotated about the connection of the push bars with the deck to 
allow the deck to rotate between a lowered configuration and a raised 
configuration wherein repairs, maintenance and cleaning can be easily 
performed on the underside of the deck. 
The deck also includes a height adjustment mechanism that cooperatively 
sets the cutting height on both sides of both the front and the rear of 
the mower deck simultaneously. The height adjustment mechanism includes a 
single location operator device, such as a handle that is operably linked 
to rotate the lift bar and to raise and lower front wheels of the deck 
simultaneously. In particular, the slot followers are positioned near 
distal ends of respective lever arms that are in turn attached to the lift 
bar. When the lift bar rotates, the slot followers are rotated and cause 
the deck to raise or lower thereabout. At the same time linkage connects a 
second set of lever arms on the lift bar to the front wheels so as to 
relatively raise or lower the deck relative to the front wheels at the 
same time as the rear of the deck raises or lowers. The height adjustment 
mechanism sets a preferred height and the slot and slot follower system 
allows the deck to articulate relative to the set cutting height to adjust 
for the variation in the terrain. 
Consequently, the mower deck mounting and support assembly allows the deck 
to be articulated so as to be ground following from both side to side and 
front to rear while also being able to be easily raised by manual 
manipulation of various parts thereof to allow easy raising of the deck 
for maintenance, cleaning, repair, etc. Further, the height adjustment 
mechanism functions in cooperation with the other elements to allow 
adjustment of the cutting height on both sides of the front and back of 
the mower deck by operation of a single operator handle. 
OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
Therefore, the objects of the present invention are: to provide a mower 
having a motorized drive vehicle and a front mounted mower connected to 
the drive vehicle by support structure including a mechanism to allow the 
mower assembly to articulate from both side to side and front to back 
independent of the drive vehicle so as to follow the contour of ground 
being traversed by the mower deck; to provide such a mower deck including 
a hinge and a rear deck release mechanism to allow the mower deck to be 
easily manipulated and swung from a cutting configuration to a raised 
configuration for cleaning, repair and other maintenance; to provide such 
a mower deck including a height adjustment mechanism to allow the cutting 
height of the mower deck to be adjusted from a single location through 
manipulation of a handle by a user without the need for tools and in 
cooperation with the support mechanism allowing articulation of the mower; 
to provide such a mower wherein the articulation mechanism includes a pair 
of hangers having vertical slots therein and wherein the mower deck 
includes a pair of rearwardly extending slot followers that are 
cooperatively received by the slots to allow relative vertical movement of 
the rear of the mower deck from side to side and relative movement 
compared to the front of the mower deck from front to back; to provide 
such hangers that are spring biased and easily manipulated to release the 
rear of the mower deck to allow raising of the mower deck; to provide such 
a mower deck having an articulation mechanism including a rear lift bar 
both operatively connected to the height adjustment mechanism and to the 
hanger slot followers so as to simultaneously allow adjustment of the 
general cutting height of the mower on both sides of the front and back 
while still allowing articulation of the rear of the mower from side to 
side; to provide a support mechanism including a hinge that allows raising 
of the mower deck when the slot followers are released from the hanger 
slots; and to provide such a mower which is relatively easy to construct, 
inexpensive to produce and especially well suited for the intended usage 
thereof. 
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from 
the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying 
drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, 
certain embodiments of this invention. 
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary 
embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and 
features thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed 
herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are 
merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. 
Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are 
not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims 
and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to 
variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately 
detailed structure. 
The reference numeral 1 generally designates a mower in accordance with the 
present invention. The mower 1 includes a front mounted deck 3, a 
motorized drive vehicle 4 and a mounting and support assembly 5. 
The mower deck 3 includes a mower housing 10, a pair of front caster wheels 
11 and 12, a mower height adjustment assembly 13 and a shock assembly 14. 
The mower housing 10 includes a main upper plate 20 and a skirt 21 
depending on three sides from the upper plate 20. On the fourth side of 
the upper plate 20 and to the right side of an operator of the mower 1 is 
an exhaust opening 22. Note that for directional terms used herein that 
the term "front" refers to the right in FIG. 4 and left and right sides 
refer to the orientation of a user facing to the front. Attached to the 
upper plate 20 above the exhaust opening 22 is an outlet stiffener 24 
which is in turn secured to an exhaust chute 25 for directing cut grass 
and the like from beneath the mower deck 3 to the side thereof. Mounted on 
the front of the housing 10 and approximately in the middle thereof is a 
pair of rollers 28 supported by struts 29 and rotatably secured in place 
by a cap screw 30. The rollers 28 help prevent the center of the housing 
10 from bottoming out on a rise in the terrain that occurs between the 
wheels 11 and 12. 
Mounted on the underside of the deck housing 10 near the rear thereof is a 
gear box 33 which is in turn connected on the side thereof to a drive 
shaft 34 by a universal joint 35. The opposite end of the gear box 33 is 
connected by a shaft 37 to a drive pulley 38. The drive pulley 38 is 
mounted on top of the housing 10 and is freely rotatable relative to the 
housing 10. 
A drive belt 39 is operably driven by the drive pulley 38 and in turn 
passes around and operably turns a plurality of blade pulleys 41, one of 
which is seen in FIG. 1. Each of the drive pulleys 41 is rotatably mounted 
on the housing 10 or a shaft 42 which passes through the housing 10 and is 
rotatable therewith. Each shaft 42 is connected to a mower blade 43. In 
this manner the mower blades 43 are operably rotated beneath the housing 
10 by rotation of the drive shaft 34. A cover 45 covers a portion of the 
housing 10 and certain of the blade pulleys 41 as well as a portion of the 
drive belt 39. The cover 45 is removable by operation of tabs 46. 
The shock assembly 14 includes an air and oil cylinder 48 having a 
reciprocating piston 49; however, it is foreseen that other shock 
absorbing devices such as a compressed gas cylinder may be used for the 
same purpose. One end of the cylinder 48 is pivotally secured to the top 
of the housing 10 by a clevis mounting bracket 50. The cylinder 48 is 
secured to the bracket 50 by a manually removable clevis pin 51. The 
opposite end of the shock assembly 14 is secured by a manually removable 
clevis pin 53 to a bracket 54 secured to the drive vehicle 4. The bracket 
54 includes a plurality of spaced apertures 55 for receiving the pin 53 to 
allow adjustment. 
The drive vehicle 4 is of a conventional manufacturer and is partly 
illustrated in FIG. 1. The drive vehicle 4 includes a vehicle body 59 
operably carried by a set of four wheels 60 with only the front wheels 
showing in FIG. 1. The vehicle 4 may be any conventional type 
multi-wheeled or tracked vehicle or tractor that is self-propelled by a 
gasoline engine or the like and which can operably maneuver during use 
under the control of an operator. 
The vehicle 4 will normally include at least two wheels which are turnable 
by an operator by movement of a steering wheel or joy stick. The turning 
wheels may be the front wheels, the rear wheels or all four wheels. It is 
also preferred that the drive mechanism for the vehicle 4 have a 
conventional power take off, not shown but which are well known in the 
art, that operably connects with a universal joint 62 for driving the 
mower blades 43 during use of the mower 1. The drive vehicle 4 is also 
suitably configured to receive the mounting and support assembly 5 which 
is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The mounting and support assembly 5 includes 
opposed plates 64 which are attached to the vehicle frame or body 59 by 
bolts 65. 
A footrest 67 is also connected to and extends forward of the vehicle 4 at 
a hinge 68. The footrest 67 has a raised position which is partially shown 
in FIG. 1 that allows raising of the mower deck 3, as will be described 
later, and a lowered position wherein the footrest 67 supports the feet of 
a user of the vehicle 4 during operation thereof, while protecting the 
feet of the user from moving equipment beneath the footrest 67. In this 
manner the footrest 67 acts in cooperation with the cover 45 to protect 
moving parts of the mower 1 that are located above the housing 10 during 
operation. The footrest 67 also allows the deck 3 to be placed 
comparatively close to the vehicle 4, while protecting the feet of the 
user, so that the deck 3 has a relatively low profile and so that the 
mower 1 as a whole, has comparatively good stability, cutting ability and 
maneuverability. 
The mounting and support assembly 5 is perhaps best seen in FIG. 2, but 
parts thereof are also seen in FIGS. 1, 3 and 7. The mounting and support 
assembly 5 includes a mounting frame 71, a pair of push bars 72 and 73 a 
pair of hangers 74 and 75 and a lift bar 76. The lift bar 76 extends from 
side to side along the rear of the deck 3 and is rotatable along a major 
axis thereof. 
The mounting frame 71 includes the side plates 64 and an upper stabilizing 
bar 79 and a lower stabilizing bar 80 extending between and securely 
attached to the mounting plates 64. Located between the bars 79 and 80 is 
a support bar 81 also extending between and secured to the plates 64. 
Each of the push bars 72 and 73 include elongate rods 84 fixedly attached 
at one end thereof to a generally U-shaped mounting member 85 and at an 
opposite end thereof, each is pivotally and swivelly attached to a clevis 
support bracket 86 by a universal joint 87. The mounting members 85 are 
mounted on the support bar 81 so as to be rotatable thereabout and are 
held from inadvertently disengaging from the support bar 81 by clevis pins 
89. 
The pins 89 may be removed and the mounting members 85 raised relative to 
the support bar 81 to allow removal of the mower deck 3 from the remainder 
of the vehicle 4. Removal of the mower deck 3 also requires disengagement 
of the shock assembly pin 51 and disengagement of the drive shaft 34 above 
the U-joint 62 from the main power takeoff of the vehicle 4 by 
conventional means. 
A gusset 90 extends between the innermost end of each mounting member 85 
and the rod 84 associated therewith to provide additional strength and 
support to the rods 84. Each of the hangers 74 and 75 include a pair of 
spaced elongate plates positioned to hang at substantial angles, almost 
right angles, with respect to a respective rod 84 and be pivotally secured 
thereto by a clevis pin 94. 
Each of the pair of plates 93 are connected near the top thereof by a bar 
95 spaced from the pin 94. Secured to the top of each bar 84 and 
positioned rearward of the plates 93 is a U-shaped mount 97. A pin 98 
passes through both sides of the mount 97 and secures one end of a spring 
99. An opposite end of the spring 99 is secured to the rod 95 such that 
there is a biasing force applied by the spring 99 to each pair of plates 
93 to urge the top of the plates 93 rearwardly or toward the vehicle 4. It 
is foreseen that another type of mechanism could be utilized to 
effectively apply such a biasing force such as a counter weight or the 
like. 
A finger operated handle 100 is secured to and extends between each pair of 
elongate plates 93. The handle 93 allows an operator to selectively rotate 
the top of the pair of plates 93 forward and thus a hanger 74 and 75 
forward by countering the biasing effect of the associated springs 99. 
Each of the plates 93 also includes an elongate slot 103 which each have a 
generally vertical orientation during use. Each slot 103 is accessible 
through an opening or mouth 104 that opens to the front or away from the 
vehicle 4. Each slot 103 has lower loop portion 105 that extends below the 
mouth 104. It is foreseen that the direction of opening of the mouth 104 
could be to the rear if the direction of biasing of the hangers 74 and 75 
is revised. 
The rotatable lift bar 76 extends along a substantial portion of the rear 
of the mower housing 10 from side to side thereof. The lift bar 76 is 
round and comparatively elongate. A pair of U-shaped hanger brackets 108 
are spaced from one another and are slideably received over the lift bar 
76. Clevis pins 109 secure the lift bar 76 in the brackets 108. Each of 
the brackets 108 is fixedly fastened by welding or the like to the rear of 
the housing 10 along the skirt 21. A spacer 110 is positioned on the 
interior of each bracket 108 at the location where an associated pin 109 
passes therethrough so as to maintain proper spacing of each side of the 
bracket 108. In this manner the lift bar 76 is rotatable about the central 
elongate axis thereof relative to the rear of the housing 10. 
Fixedly secured to, extending outwardly therefrom and being spaced from one 
another along the lift bar 76 are three sets of pairs of lever arms 113, 
114 and 115. Also fixedly attached to, extending outwardly therefrom and 
being spaced along the bar 76 are another set of lever arms 118 and 119. 
The lever arms 118 and 119 extend at substantial angles to the bar 
relative to lever arms 113, 114 and 115, which angles are approximately 
90.degree.. Extending outwardly from distal ends of each of the lever arms 
118 and 119 on either side thereof are a pair of pins or slot followers 
120. Each of the slot followers 120 is a round elongate peg that is sized 
and shaped to fit within the hanger slots 103. Likewise each of the lever 
arms 118 and 119 are spaced so that the slot followers 120 are 
simultaneously located within the hanger slots 103 of the hangers 74 and 
75. 
Spaced outwardly sideways from each end of the bar 76 is a bracket 123 
attached to the housing 10 and supporting a roller 124. The rollers 124 
help support the mower deck 3, when removed from the vehicle 4, and allow 
it to be freely rolled relative to the vehicle 4, so that it can easily be 
properly located for attachment of the mounting and support assembly 5 to 
the vehicle 4. The rollers 124 also help in preventing scalping at the 
rear corners of the mower deck 3. 
As will be discussed in greater detail below, it is noted that rotation of 
the lift bar 76 about the central axis thereof and when the slot followers 
120 are located in the hanger slots 103, causes the lever arms 118 and 119 
to effectively raise or lower the rear of the mower deck housing 10 
relative to the vehicle 4 and to the ground supporting the vehicle 4. 
The mower height adjustment assembly 13 includes the lift bar 76 discussed 
above, a handle mechanism 127 and a wheel adjustment mechanism 128 
associated with each of the caster wheels 11 and 12. 
The handle mechanism 127 is seen in an exploded view in FIG. 7 and 
assembled in FIG. 1. 
The handle mechanism 127 includes a handle mount 130 which is fixedly 
secured by bolts 131 to the housing upper plate 20 so as to extend 
upwardly therefrom. The handle mount 130 includes a lower base plate 132, 
an intermediate leverage plate 133 and a U-shaped structure 134. The 
leverage plate 134 includes a central aperture 135. The U-shaped structure 
134 includes a series of spaced apertures 137 along the upper side 
thereof. 
Secured by a bolt 138 passing through the aperture 135, a spacer 139 and a 
aperture 140 at the lower end of a lower handle rod 141 is a bolt 138 
secured by a nut 142. The lower handle rod 141 also includes a second 
aperture 145 spaced from the first aperture 140 and receiving a pin 146 
therethrough. Also spaced along the lower handle arm 141 are a pair of 
centrally bored tabs 147 and 148. Attached to the upper end of the lower 
handle arm 141 is an L-shaped upper handle arm 150 secured in place by a 
bolt 151. A hand grip 153 is located on one side of the upper handle arm 
150. The pin 146 also passes through an aperture 156 in a handle link 157. 
An aperture 158 is located on the end of the link 157 opposite the 
aperture 156 and is operably received between distal ends of the lever 
arms 114. The lever arms 114 include apertures 160 through which a pin 161 
is received. The pin 161 is also pivotally received through the aperture 
158 in the link 157 so as to connect the upper and lower handle arms 141 
and 150 to the lift bar 76. 
A catch rod 164 is received through the tabs 147 and 148 so as to be 
slideably received therein and operably is received in one of the 
apertures 137 in the top of the handle mount 130 as well as a slot 163 in 
the upper handle arm 150. In operation, a user pulls the catch rod 164 
upwardly under control of a stop and return spring 165 located under the 
tab 148 and along the rod 164, so that the lower end of the catch rod 164 
clears the apertures 137 allowing the user to swing the handle arm 150 
between front and rear so as to reposition the catch rod 164 over a 
different aperture 137 at which time the rod 164 is released and returned 
by biasing of the spring 165 to the different aperture 137. As will be 
discussed later, this operation effectively translates rotational movement 
to the lift bar 76 which adjusts both the rear cutting height and front 
cutting height of the mower in one simultaneous movement. Although a 
manually operated handle is utilized as a single location height 
adjustment device in the present embodiment, it is foreseen that other 
types of devices such as electric switches or manually operated hydraulic 
or air switching devices could be alternatively utilized. 
Each of the front wheel adjustment mechanisms 128 include link shafts 168 
having apertures 169 and 170 located near opposite ends thereof. Sleeved 
on each shaft 168 is a compression spring 172 operably positioned by a 
washer band 173 secured along the shaft 168. The end of the shaft 168 
associated with the aperture 169 is pivotally secured at apertures 175 
located in distal ends of respective links 113 and 115 by clevis pins 174. 
A tab 176 having an aperture 177 therethrough is fixedly secured to an 
L-shaped member 178 (FIG. 1), so as to be supported upright thereby. The 
end of the link shaft 168 associated with the aperture 170 is passed 
through the tab aperture 177 such that the tab 176 abuts against one end 
of the spring 172. 
A mounting bracket 180 is secured to the top surface of the housing 10. A 
lift channel 181 is C-shaped and includes a depending ear 182 on one side 
thereof. An aperture 183 in the channel 181 receives a pin 184 which is 
also received through an aperture 185 in the mounting bracket 180 so as to 
pivotally connect the lift channel 181 to the mounting bracket 180. 
The ear 182 in turn has an aperture 185 that receives a pin 186 which is 
also received in the aperture 170 in the shaft 168 so as to pivotally 
secure the shaft 168 to the lift channel 181. Forward of a set of 
apertures 183 is a second set of apertures 187 which each receives a bolt 
188 therethrough. The bolt 188 is also received through a set of apertures 
189 in a caster yoke 190 so as to allow pivotal motion of the caster yoke 
190 relative to the lift channel 181. 
Each mounting bracket 180 includes a second set of apertures 192 mounted 
below the first set of apertures 185 therein. A stabilizer arm 193 having 
apertures 194 and 195 at opposite ends thereof. The caster yoke 190 
includes a second set of apertures 196 below the first set of apertures 
189 thereof. A pin 197 pivotally connects the mounting bracket at 
apertures 192 to the stabilizer arm 193 at the apertures 194. Likewise pin 
198 connects the stabilizer arm 193 at the apertures 195 to the caster 
yoke 190 at the apertures 196. 
The caster yoke 190 includes a generally vertically aligned bore 200 
therethrough. Each of the caster wheels 11 and 12 include a clevis 202 
pivotally attached to a respective wheel 11 and 12 by a pin 203. Each 
clevis 202 includes a pivot rod 205 extending upwardly therefrom which is 
sized and shaped to be received in associated bore 200 of the caster yoke 
190. Positioned in the bottom and top of each bore 200 is a pair of 
bearings 206 and 207 to allow rotation of the pivot rod 205 within the 
bore 200. The bearing 207 is held in place by a bearing cap 208 and in 
turn by a fastener 209. 
In use, the deck 3 is mounted on the vehicle 4 by rolling the deck 3 on 
wheels 11 and 12 and rollers 124 until the pusher bar mounting members 85 
are aligned with the support bar 81 at which time the mounting members 85 
are placed over the bar 81 and secured with pins 89. The drive shaft 34 is 
attached to the vehicle power take off at joint 62 which uses a 
conventional push pin or alternatively a slide collar for release. The 
shock absorbing assembly 14 is attached to the deck 3 by pin 51 and to the 
vehicle 4 by pin 53. The foot rest 67 is lowered. The rear of the deck 3 
is then raised until the slot followers 120 engage the hangers 74 and 75 
at which time the hangers 74 and 75 swing rearwardly under lifting 
pressure and allow the slot followers 120 to enter the slots 103. The slot 
followers 120 are thereafter maintained in the slots 103 until it is 
desired to raise the deck 3 as described below or remove the deck 3 from 
the vehicle 4 in which case the process is reversed. 
The cutting height adjustment mechanism 13 is then manipulated, if 
necessary, to set a new cutting height. The operator manually raises the 
catch rod 164 until the lower end thereof clears the current aperture 137. 
The grip 153 is then urged frontwardly or rearwardly to lower or raise the 
cutting height. When the selected height is obtained the catch rod 164 is 
returned to one of the apertures 137 that is associated with that height. 
When the grip 153 is moved, the arms 141 and 150 pivot about the bolt 138 
operably moving the link 156. The link 156 in turn moves the lever arm 114 
so as to rotate the lift bar 76. The lift bar 76 in turn rotates the lever 
arms 113 and 115 and the lever arms 118 and 119. 
Rotation of the lever arms 113 and 115 cause movement of the link shafts 
168 which in turn pivot the lift channels 181 about the pins 184. Movement 
of the lift channels 181 causes reductive movement of the castor yokes 190 
so that the latter swing upwardly or downwardly thereby lowering or 
raising the deck 3 on each side of the front of the deck 3 relative to the 
wheels 11 and 12. 
At the same time rotation of the lever arm 118 and 119 effect a lowering or 
raising of the deck 3 as the slot followers 120 bias against the slot 
lower loop portion 105. 
When the mower 1 is stationary for height adjustment the slot followers 120 
are normally at the lower end of the slots 103, but are free to move 
upward along the slots 103 during operation to allow articulation of the 
deck 3 to allow the deck 4 to better follow the contour of the ground 
being traversed thereby rather than being tied to following movement of 
the vehicle 4. This helps avoid scalping. Likewise, the height adjustment 
is for even terrain whereon the vehicle 4 and deck 3 set on approximately 
the same plane whereas the movement of the slot followers 120 in the slots 
103 adjusts for uneven terrain between the vehicle 4 and deck 3, as well 
as uneven terrain being covered by the deck 3 itself. 
The deck 3 can be easily and conveniently raised without need of tools for 
cleaning, repair, maintenance or the like. The mower 1 is shown in a 
cutting or lowered configuration in FIG. 1. To change configurations the 
foot rest 67 is raised and the handles 100 (see FIG. 3) are manually 
depressed by the operator, thereby swinging the hangers 74 and 75 about 
the pivot pins 94 and thereby urging the slots 103 rearwardly and the slot 
followers 120 from the slots 103. The slot followers 120 may need to be 
raised manually slightly while each hanger 74 or 75 is manipulated. The 
resulting position is seen in FIGS. 5 and 3 with the slot followers 120 no 
longer in the slots 103. The shock absorber assembly 14 is also 
disconnected at one end thereof by removing the pin 51. 
The deck 3 can now be pivoted relative to the vehicle 4 and, in particular, 
is pivoted relative to the pusher bars 72 and 73 at the pins 87. This 
allows the deck to be raised to an upright service or flipped up position, 
as seen in FIG. 6, to expose the underside of the deck 3 for any required 
purpose. 
To reuse the mower 1 for cutting, the procedure is reversed with the rear 
end being raised until the slot followers 120 engage the hangers 74 and 75 
and then enter the slots 103 within which they are then held by the 
biasing force of the springs 99. The hangers 74 and 75 are automatically 
biased by the springs 99 to reconnect with the slot followers 120 as the 
slot followers 120 are raised. In this manner the rear connection of the 
slot followers 120 to the hangers 74 and 75 is both quick release and 
quick reconnecting. 
It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention 
have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the 
specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.