Patent ID: 8539745

Claim:
A walk power mower having a rear bagging mode, which comprises: (a) a mower deck having a downwardly facing cutting chamber which encloses a pair of rotary side-by-side cutting blades whose orbits are positioned relative to one another to collectively cut an unbroken swath of grass that is wider than a width of the orbit of either blade alone, wherein the blades rotate about vertical axes in the same direction relative to the cutting chamber so that grass clippings cut by one blade merge with grass clippings cut by the other blade with the merged clippings forming a single common stream of clippings that is generally rearwardly directed along one side of the cutting chamber; (b) a plurality of ground engaging wheels carried on the mower deck for supporting the mower deck for rolling over the ground; (c) a handle assembly carried on the mower deck to permit an operator who is walking on the ground behind the mower deck to grip the handle assembly to guide and manipulate the mower deck during movement of the mower deck, the handle assembly including a pair of laterally spaced, upwardly inclined, and rearwardly extending handle tubes attached to opposite sides of the mower deck; (d) a power source carried atop the mower deck for rotating the cutting blades; (e) wherein the mower deck includes only a single rearwardly extending grass discharge tunnel for receiving the common stream of clippings generated by the blades, the tunnel having a rear discharge opening located adjacent a rear end of the mower deck, wherein the rear discharge opening faces rearwardly and is positioned on the mower deck to discharge the common stream of clippings received from the cutting chamber into a space that is positioned laterally between lower portions of the handle tubes when viewed from above; and (f) a grass collection bag having a mouth that in the rear bagging mode is mated with the rear discharge opening of the tunnel to receive and collect the common stream of clippings being discharged by the tunnel, the grass collection bag extending substantially rearwardly from the mouth thereof to a rear end which is located beneath the handle tubes.