MOWER COMB

A comb assembly for use with a reel type mower in which the comb is mounted in advance of the reel so as to engage the grass in front of the reel to loosen the grass, and straighten up bent over blades, and loosen stringers which may have become loosely attached to the turf so as to maximize the number of blades and stringers available to the cutting action of the reel, and to provide a more thorough and high-quality cut, particularly on the putting greens of golf courses. The ground engaging portion of the comb is formed of a resilient plastic material which does not injure the grass, does not tear the turf, passes the twigs without damage to the turf and does not damage the reel or bed-knife should the teeth break off and pass between the reel blades and the bed-knife, the teeth being of such resiliency that they return to their normal condition when unstressed and do not quickly develop a stressed breakline through repeated flexing as metal will do. Furthermore, the teeth are sufficiently elastic to enable them to accurately follow the ground contour over which the mower is traveling. One version of the comb of this invention is also designed so that the comb assembly can also function as a scraper for one of the rollers so as to clean and remove therefrom, fresh clippings which tend to collect thereon and interfere with the proper operation of the mower. In another version, a portion of the comb assembly serves as a grass shield.