Patent ID: 7823291

Claim:
A rotary cutter for a mowing machine comprising: a cord for mowing grass or the like by rotating; a reel which contains the cord and intermittently rotates to pay out the cord; a case which contains the reel; and a cover which covers the case, wherein: the cord is guided out of the reel and performs mowing operation; the reel includes an upper cam and a lower cam respectively on its upper step and lower step; a stopper in a substantially U-shape having a substantially same length as a diameter of the reel is incorporated in the case at a center of a bottom thereof so as to slide in a diametrical direction between a first position in which the reel is prevented from rotating and a second position in which the reel is allowed to rotate; one end of the stopper is engaged with the upper cam when the stopper is in the first position thereby to stop the rotation of the reel; the other end of the stopper is engaged with the lower cam when the stopper is in the second position thereby to allow the rotation of the reel; one end of the cord, which is wound around the reel, is engaged with the stopper from outside thereof and guided out of the rotary cutter through a cord guide; the other end of the cord is guided out of the rotary cutter without touching the stopper; when the cord, which is guided out, is worn out and become short while the rotary cutter is rotating, the one end of the stopper is disengaged from the upper cam with a centrifugal force thereby to rotate the reel to pay out the cord; and when the reel continues to rotate, the stopper is moved in the diametrical direction due to the other end of the stopper which is engaged with the lower cam of the reel, and after a determined amount of rotation of the reel, the one end of the stopper is engaged again with the upper cam thereby to stop the rotation of the reel.