US Patent 11419265 Self-adjusting mower deck gauge wheels

A self-adjusting mower deck gauge wheel includes a first hydraulic cylinder fluidly connected to a second hydraulic cylinder. A gauge wheel is rotatably mounted on a gauge wheel shaft slideable in the first hydraulic cylinder between a fully extended position and a fully retracted position. In the fully retracted position, the mower deck rests flat on the ground and is not supported by gauge wheels. An orifice between the first and second hydraulic cylinders provides a high damping rate to slow travel of the gauge wheel shaft between the fully extended and fully retracted positions. A coil spring with a low spring rate also may be connected to a piston in the second hydraulic cylinder.