Patent ID: 7594379

Claim:
A mower cutting deck having a discharge opening for discharging grass clippings from the cutting deck, which comprises: (a) a movable gate having a closed position in which the gate substantially blocks the discharge opening to prevent the passage of the grass clippings through the discharge opening to place the cutting deck in a non-discharge mode of operation and an open position in which the gate substantially clears the discharge opening to permit the passage of the grass clippings through the discharge opening to place the cutting deck in a discharge mode of operation; (b) a pivotal foot pedal operatively coupled to the gate for allowing an operator to control the position of the gate by depressing the foot pedal, wherein the pivotal foot pedal controls the position of the gate independently of and without affecting the cutting deck's ground speed during a mowing operation, wherein the foot pedal can be selectively depressed by the operator between a non-depressed starting position and a fully depressed ending position, wherein the non-depressed starting position of the foot pedal corresponds to the closed position of the gate and the fully depressed ending position corresponds to the open position of the gate, wherein the foot pedal has an over center linkage, the over center linkage moving into an over center orientation when the foot pedal reaches the fully depressed, ending position thereof to lock the foot pedal in the fully depressed, ending position without requiring additional down pressure from the operator on the foot pedal; (c) a spring that applies a spring force to the foot pedal tending to cause the foot pedal to rise to its non-depressed starting position such that the operator has to apply down pressure to the foot pedal to move the foot pedal against the spring force, whereby the spring force opposes movement of the foot pedal at least over a first range of travel of the foot pedal such that the operator can feather the position of the foot pedal by increasing or decreasing the down pressure on the foot pedal to hold the gate in intermediate positions between the open and closed positions of the gate; and (d) a pedal release for allowing the operator to selectively break the over center orientation of the over center linkage to release the foot pedal from its fully depressed, ending position.