Patent ID: 7174700

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a mower deck covering a plurality of cutting chambers with a rotary cutting blade in each chamber and a discharge opening from one of the cutting chambers; a blower with a housing mounted at the discharge opening; a plurality of pivoting gates between the adjacent cutting chambers; a pivoting gate between one of the cutting chambers and the discharge opening; each of the gates being movable between an open position allowing flow of grass clippings between the cutting chambers and through the discharge opening; a closed position blocking flow of grass clippings between the cutting chambers and blocking flow through the discharge opening; and at least one intermediate position in which the gates are partially open to allow limited flow of grass clippings between the cutting chambers and limited flow through the discharge opening; and a pivoting handle over the mower deck linked to the gates to move the gates to the open position, the closed position, or at least one intermediate position.