Walk reel mower with side plate cutouts for drop out 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 prime mover;
• 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.