Patent ID: 7299613

Claim:
A mulching mower unit comprising: a mower deck having a top plate; a plurality of rotary blades arranged side by side inside the mower deck; a mulching baffle and a rear vacuum plate defined to correspond to loci of rotation of the respective rotary blades inside the mower deck to produce at least part of boundary walls of a plurality of mulching chambers, the mulching baffle being attached to the mower deck wherein the mulching baffle and the rear vacuum plate define generally circular mulching chambers for the respective rotary blades and surround the loci of rotation of the rotary blades generally over the entire circumferences thereof; a vertical guide wall formed in the mulching baffle and directly opposed to the loci of rotation of the respective rotary blades; an opening between the mulching baffle and a forwardly projecting end portion of the rear vacuum plate for allowing the adjacent mulching chambers to communicate with each other; and a terminal end guide surface formed in a terminal end portion of the vertical guide wall with respect to a direction of rotation of the rotary blade in a region around the opening, wherein the terminal end guide surface has a radius less than the loci of rotation and wherein an extension of the terminal end guide surface is directed inwardly with respect to the forwardly projecting end portion of the rear vacuum plate such that grass clippings are deflected inwardly of the mulching chamber with which the terminal end guide surface is associated.