Grass collecting system for a lawn mower

A grass collecting system, having a grass collecting duct for transmitting grass clippings reaped by a mower unit to a grass catcher in a grass collecting position, said grass catcher being swingable to a grass discharge position, wherein said grass collecting duct includes a top plate and right and left side plates for guiding the grass clippings from the mower unit to the grass catcher, an outlet portion being defined by an end of a space surrounded by the top plate and the right and left side plates, said grass collecting system comprising:

• a grass clippings discharge path for transmitting the grass clippings received from said mower unit, from the outlet portion of said grass collecting duct into said grass catcher;
• a bottom plate unit locatable in said outlet portion to be swingable about a pivot shaft from a guide position for preventing falling of the grass clippings to an upstanding position;
• and
• a shortening mechanism provided for said bottom plate unit for shortening a distance between a forward end of said bottom plate unit projecting into said grass collecting duct, and said pivot shaft, said distance measured along a straight line extending between the forward end of said bottom plate unit and said pivot shaft;
• a lift mechanism for supporting said grass catcher to be vertically movable relative to the outlet portion of said grass collecting duct, wherein said lift mechanism is a lift link mechanism for vertically moving said grass catcher by swinging said grass catcher with a driving force of a lift actuator;
• said bottom plate unit includes a main body supported to a part associated with the grass catcher, and a movable part supported to be pivotable about a transverse axis relative to the main body;
• and
• wherein the shortening mechanism causes said movable part to pivot in a predetermined direction with a change in position of said lift link mechanism when said grass catcher is raised from a grass collecting level by a pivoting movement of the lift link mechanism.

A grass collecting system having a grass collecting duct for transmitting grass clippings reaped by a mower unit to a grass catcher in a grass collecting position, said grass catcher being swingable to a grass discharge position, wherein said grass collecting duct includes a top plate and right and left side plates for guiding the grass clippings from the mower unit to the grass catcher, an outlet portion being defined by an end of a space surrounded by the top plate and the right and left side plates, said grass collecting system comprising:

• a grass clippings discharge patch for transmitting the grass clippings received from said mower unit, from the outlet portion of said grass collecting duct into said grass catcher;
• a bottom plate unit locatable in said outlet portion to be swingable about a pivot shaft from a guide position for preventing falling of the grass clippings to an upstanding position;
• and
• a shortening mechanism provided for said bottom plate unit for shortening a distance between a forward end of said bottom plate unit projecting into said grass collecting duct, and said pivot shaft, said distance measured along a straight line extending between the forward end of said bottom plate unit and said pivot shaft;
• an interlocking mechanism for swinging said bottom plate unit to the upstanding position when said grass catcher switches from the grass collecting position to the grass discharge position, said shortening mechanism being operable in response to the swing to the upstanding position of said bottom plate unit by said interlocking mechanism.

A grass collecting system having a grass collecting duct for transmitting grass clippings reaped by a mower unit to a grass catcher in a grass collecting position, said grass catcher being swingable to a grass discharge position, wherein said grass collecting duct includes a top plate and right and left side plates for guiding the grass clippings from the mower unit to the grass catcher, an outlet portion being defined by an end of a space surrounded by the top plate and the right and left side plates, said grass collecting system comprising:

• a grass clippings discharge path for transmitting the grass clippings received from said mower unit, from the outlet portion of said grass collecting duct into said grass catcher;
• a bottom plate unit disposed in said outlet portion to be swingable about a pivot shaft from a guide position for preventing falling of the grass clippings to an upstanding position;
• a shortening mechanism provided for said bottom plate unit for shortening a distance between a forward end of said bottom plate unit projecting into said grass collecting duct, and said pivot shaft, wherein said shortening mechanism is operable when said grass catcher is displaced from said grass collecting position;
• a gate frame disposed between the outlet portion of said grass collecting duct and said grass catcher for pivotably supporting said grass catcher;
• and
• a lift mechanism for supporting said gate frame and said grass catcher to be vertically movable relative to the outlet portion of said grass collecting duct, wherein said lift mechanism is a lift link mechanism for vertically moving said gate frame by swinging said gate frame with a driving force of a lift actuator, said bottom plate unit includes a main body supported by said gate frame, and a movable part supported to be pivotable about a transverse axis relative to the main body and said shortening mechanism includes a cam swingable with a swing of said lift link mechanism, a swing piece set to a swing position by contact with the cam object, and a linkage member for interlocking said swing piece and said movable part, said cam allowing said swing piece to swing with a change in position of said lift link, and allows said movable part through said linkage member to swing in a predetermined direction when said gate frame is raised from a grass collecting level.