Patent ID: 7331166

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a mowing machine having a front pair of wheels on a front wheel axis and track width and a rear pair of wheels having a rear wheel axis and track width; a plurality of cutting units positioned in front of and behind the front pair of wheels; each cutting unit discharging grass frontwardly and having a forward bar extending laterally across the front of the cutting unit and a grass catcher removably attached to the front of the cutting unit, the grass catcher having a rear-facing opening toward the cutting unit for receiving grass discharged from the cutting unit; a lift arm hinged to the mowing machine, the lift arm pivotable between a laterally extended position, a partially raised position, and a fully raised position; and a coupling mechanism removably connecting the forward bar of the cutting unit to the lift arm, including a pair of laterally spaced plates and a pair of removable pins that hold the cutting unit in a mowing position, a service position, or a transport position, the laterally spaced plates and removable pins positioned above the forward bar and out of the grass discharge path in the mowing position.