Patent ID: 8209946

Claim:
A rotary mower apparatus movable from a field position to a raised transport position, and from the raised transport position to a trailing transport position, the apparatus comprising: a center deck mounted on center wheels for movement along the ground in an operating travel direction, and a hitch at a front end of the center deck adapted to be attached to a towing vehicle; right and left wing decks, each wing deck movably attached on corresponding right and left sides of the center deck such that in the field position, each wing deck is oriented substantially horizontally and extends laterally from the center deck, and such that in the raised transport position each wing deck extends upward and extends laterally from the center deck, and such that in the trailing transport position each wing deck extends upward and rearward from the center deck; a wing lift actuator operative to move each wing deck from the field position to the raised transport position; a transport wheel and a field wheel attached to one of the right or left wing deck on each side of the center deck, wherein in the field position, the transport wheel is above the ground and the field wheel is on the ground oriented to roll in the operating travel direction supporting the wing deck above the ground, and wherein in the raised transport position the field wheel is above the ground and the transport wheel is on the ground oriented to roll in a direction transverse to the operating travel direction and supporting the wing deck above the ground; a wing wheel mounted such that in the field position, the wing wheel is on the ground supporting a wing deck above the ground, and such that in the raised transport position the wing wheel is above the ground; a center blade mounted under the center deck, and right and left blades mounted under corresponding right and left wing decks such that when in the field position the right and left blades are oriented such that cutting paths of the right and left blades overlap a cutting path of the center blade; a drive operative to rotate the center, right, and left blades; and a cutting height actuator operative to raise and lower the center deck and right and left wing decks with respect to the ground; wherein, as the center deck is towed forward in the raised transport position, the wing decks pivot rearward with respect to the center deck from the raised transport position to the trailing transport position.