Walk reel mower

A reel mower, which comprises:

• (a) a frame supported for rolling over the ground, the frame having a pair of laterally spaced side plates;
• (b) a reel cutting unit carried by the frame, wherein the reel cutting unit comprises:
• (i) a laterally extending cutting reel rotatably journalled between the side plates of the frame for rotation about a substantially horizontal rotational axis, the cutting reel having a plurality of blades;
• and
• (ii) a laterally extending bedknife extending between the side plates of the frame, the bedknife having a cutting edge that severs standing uncut grass in a shearing action as the blades of the cutting reel push the standing uncut grass against the cutting edge of the bedknife in a lower portion of a circular orbit of rotation of the cutting reel, the shearing action between the bedknife and the cutting reel creating grass clippings that are thrown generally rearwardly relative to the frame immediately after the grass clippings are generated by the shearing action;
• and
• (c) a laterally extending grass shield extending between the side plates of the frame, the grass shield having an arcuate portion extending approximately around at least an upper rear quadrant of the orbit of the cutting reel to redirect and discharge the grass clippings generally forwardly relative to the frame, the arcuate portion of the grass shield having a radial spacing of a desired predetermined amount relative to the upper rear quadrant of the orbit of the cutting reel, and wherein the grass shield is pivotally adjustable relative to the frame and relative to the reel cutting unit about a substantially horizontal pivot axis to permit the arcuate portion of the shield to be pivoted in a direction that restores the radial spacing to the desired predetermined amount after the radial spacing has increased due to a reduction in a diameter of the cutting reel caused by wear of the cutting reel.

A walk reel mower, which comprises:

• (a) a frame supported for rolling over the ground by a plurality of rotatable ground engaging members carried by the frame;
• (b) a rearwardly and upwardly extending handle assembly on the frame to allow a user to stand behind the frame in a walk behind position and to grip the handle assembly and operate the mower from the walk behind position;
• (c) a reel cutting unit carried by the frame;
• (d) a prime mover carried on the frame, the prime mover having a throttle that provides the prime mover with a variable rotational speed depending upon a position of the throttle within a range of throttle motion between a low idle speed of the prime mover and a nominal maximum working speed of the prime mover;
• (e) a traction drive system operatively connected to the prime mover for driving at least one of the ground engaging members to self-propel the frame over the ground at a ground speed that is proportionally related to the rotational speed of the engine;
• and
• (f) a ground speed control system, which comprises:
• (i) a user movable throttle control;
• (ii) a user movable throttle reducing control;
• and
• (iii) a mechanical cable assembly operatively coupling the throttle control and the throttle reducing control to the prime mover throttle, wherein the mechanical cable assembly is configured to allow the user to operate the movable throttle control to mechanically set and maintain the prime mover throttle in a desired position within the range of throttle motion to establish a desired nominal ground speed for the frame, to allow the user to operate the throttle reducing control independently of any movement of the throttle control to temporarily reduce the ground speed of the frame below the nominal ground speed for so long as the user maintains the throttle reducing control in an actuated condition, and to permit the ground speed of the frame to return to the desired nominal ground speed once the user no longer maintains the throttle reducing control in its actuated condition.

A walk reel mower, which comprises:

• (a) a frame supported for rolling over the ground by a plurality of rotatable ground engaging members carried by the frame;
• (b) a rearwardly and upwardly extending handle assembly on the frame to allow a user to stand behind the frame in a walk behind position and to grip the handle assembly and operate the mower from the walk behind position;
• (c) a reel cutting unit carried by the frame;
• and
• (d) a kickstand assembly, which comprises:
• (i) a kickstand that pivots on the handle assembly from a stowed position into a partially deployed position in which the kickstand has an upper portion that abuts against the handle assembly and a lower ground engaging portion that is left positioned above the ground in the partially deployed position;
• (ii) wherein the handle assembly is pivotally connected to the frame for pivoting about a substantially horizontal pivot axis from at least one operational position to a kickstand deploying position which is less upright than the at least one operational position;
• (iii) wherein the handle assembly and the frame include a cooperating lock for allowing the user to selectively locate the handle assembly in either the at least one upright operational position or the kickstand deploying position with the lock retaining the handle assembly in the selected position;
• and
• (iv) wherein the handle assembly when located in and retained in the kickstand deploying position allows the user to use push down on the handle assembly to use leverage provided by the handle assembly in the kickstand deploying position thereof to force the kickstand further downwardly from the partially deployed position to a fully deployed position in which the lower ground engaging portion of the kickstand is forced into engagement with the ground to thereby elevate a rear portion of the frame above the ground.