Patent ID: 8104253

Claim:
A gang reel mower, which comprises: (a) a plurality of laterally spaced front reel cutting units having lateral gaps therebetween with each front reel cutting unit providing a width of cut, each gap being covered by a rear reel cutting unit having a width of cut that spans the gap and that extends beyond opposite sides of the gap to also overlap by an overlap distance a portion of the width of cut of the spaced front cutting units that form the gap such that all the front and rear cutting units collectively cut an unbroken swath of grass during a single pass of the mower; (b) wherein each of the front cutting units is supported for rolling on the ground by a grooved front roller having a grooved portion and by a rear roller having a substantially smooth rolling surface, wherein the grooved portion of the front roller of each front cutting unit extends substantially across at least the entire width of cut of the front cutting unit; and (c) wherein each of the rear cutting units is supported for rolling on the ground by a grooved front roller with side shoulders on each end thereof and by a rear roller having a substantially smooth rolling surface, wherein the shoulders on the front roller of each rear cutting unit provide substantially continuous rolling surfaces that contact the ground and roll on the turf to extend laterally at least substantially entirely across the overlap distances of the overlaps such that the grooved portion of the front roller of each rear cutting unit is located substantially entirely between the overlaps to thereby minimize double cut marks in the overlaps.