Mower deck

A lawnmower convertible between a mulching mode and a discharge mode, the lawnmower comprising:

• (a) a deck including a skirt and a cutting chamber, the cutting chamber including a roof;
• (b) a discharge chute opening into the cutting chamber;
• (c) a blade rotatably mounted in the cutting chamber for cutting grass;
• and
• (d) a deflector detached from the blade and comprising a plurality of spaced-apart and bladeless deflector elements disposed along at least substantially co-planar longitudinal axes and adapted for forming a single clippings barrier by deflecting without cutting a portion of clippings circulating in the cutting chamber while allowing passage between the deflector elements of other clippings circulating in the cutting chamber, the deflector elements extending across the blade at a position above the blade.

A method of mulching grass comprising:

• (a) providing a cutting chamber with at least one blade mounted in the cutting chamber for cutting grass;
• (b) providing a deflector detached from the blade and mounted in the cutting chamber and extending across the blade at a position above the blade, the deflector being semi-permeable to clippings and comprising a plurality of spaced-apart and bladeless deflector elements disposed along at least substantially co-planar longitudinal axes and adapted for deflecting without cutting a portion of clippings circulating in the cutting chamber while allowing passage between the deflector elements of other clippings circulating in the cutting chamber;
• and
• (c) deflecting without cutting a portion of clippings circulating in the cutting chamber above the blade to form a semi-permeable clippings barrier that collects a portion of the clippings circulating in the cutting chamber above the blade while allowing passage of other clippings between the deflector elements.

A mower deck comprising:

• (a) a skirt defining a cutting chamber;
• (b) at least one cutting blade mounted in the cutting chamber for cutting grass;
• and
• (c) a deflector detached from the blade and comprising a plurality of spaced-apart and bladeless deflector elements disposed along at least substantially co-planar longitudinal axes, the deflector elements extending into a portion of the cutting chamber at a position above the blade, the deflector being adapted for forming a clippings barrier to control clippings circulating in the cutting chamber by deflecting without cutting a portion of clippings circulating in the cutting chamber while allowing passage between the deflector elements of other clippings circulating in the cutting chamber.