Handle support for a walk-behind mower

Claim 1

In a lawn mower of the type including a housing having a top wall and depending side walls defining an open bottom enclosure, a motor being mounted on a central portion of said top wall and having a vertical drive shaft projecting through said top wall into said enclosure, a generally horizontal cutting blade being fixed to said drive shaft for rotation therewith, and front and rear pairs of wheels being respectively rotatably connected to front and rear portions of said housing for supporting the latter above the ground, the improvement comprising: first bracket means being fixed to said housing rearwardly of said motor; a second bracket means being secured to a rear side portion of said motor at a location above the level of said first bracket means; a handle including a lower end portion pivotally connected to said first bracket means for movement about a first substantially horizontal transverse axis; a rigid handle support means having forward and rearward end portions; first connection means connecting said forward end portion of said handle support means to said second bracket means for movement about a second substantially transverse horizontal axis; and second connection means releasably connecting said rearward end portion of said handle support means to said handle above the lower end thereof.