Mower components

Abstract

Embodiments of blades for use with lawn mowers are provided herein. In some embodiments, a blade for a lawn mower includes a substantially flat central portion having a rotational axis configured to be coupled to a motor for rotating the blade; a distal portion extending radially from opposing sides of the flat central portion, the distal portion being a cutting region of the blade when mowing and defined by the following: a non-zero leading angle defining an angle of attack; and a non-zero camber percentage; and an intermediate portion disposed between the central portion and the distal portion and configured to minimize an amount of torsional stress between the central portion and the distal portion, wherein each distal portion comprises about 25 percent or less of a total length of the blade.

1 . A blade for a mower, comprising:
 a substantially flat central portion having a rotational axis configured to be coupled to a motor for rotating the blade;   a distal portion extending radially from opposing sides of the flat central portion, the distal portion being a cutting region of the blade when mowing and defined by the following:
 a non-zero leading angle defining an angle of attack; and 
 a non-zero camber percentage; and 
   an intermediate portion disposed between the central portion and the distal portion and configured to minimize an amount of torsional stress between the central portion and the distal portion, wherein each distal portion comprises about 25 percent or less of a total length of the blade.   
     
     
         2 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the non-zero leading angle is about twenty-five to about thirty-five degrees and wherein the camber percentage is about 2 to about 12 percent. 
     
     
         3 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the distal portion is curved about an edge furthest from the rotational axis based at least in part on a curve associated with a baffle surrounding the blade when attached to the motor. 
     
     
         4 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the camber percentage varies along a width of the blade such that at least a portion of a leading edge of the blade located within the distal portion is substantially flat. 
     
     
         5 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the distal portion is swept backwards to one or more of:
 vary linearly with respect to a radius of the blade, or   curve along the radius.   
     
     
         6 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the blade is further defined by one or more of a leading edge or a trailing edge and wherein one or more of the leading edge or the trailing edge is tapered. 
     
     
         7 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the blade is further defined by a thickness and a chord width, and wherein the chord width is based at least in part on the thickness. 
     
     
         8 . The blade of  claim 7 , wherein the chord width is about two to about three inches. 
     
     
         9 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the flat central portion include a central opening and one or more peripheral openings configured for coupling the blade to a motor. 
     
     
         10 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein a leading edge of the distal portion is sharpened. 
     
     
         11 . A blade, comprising:
 a substantially flat central portion having a rotational axis configured to be coupled to a motor for rotating the blade;   a distal portion extending radially from opposing sides of the flat central portion, the distal portion being a cutting region of the blade when mowing and defined by the following:
 a non-zero leading angle defining an angle of attack; and 
 a non-zero camber percentage; and 
   an intermediate portion disposed between the central portion and each distal portion and configured to minimize an amount of torsional stress between the central portion and the distal portion.   
     
     
         12 . The blade of  claim 11 , wherein the non-zero leading angle at the distal portion is about 15 degrees to about 45 degrees. 
     
     
         13 . The blade of  claim 12 , wherein a chord width of the blade is substantially the same across a length of the blade. 
     
     
         14 . The blade of  claim 11 , wherein a width of the blade is about 2 to about 3 inches, and a thickness of the blade is about 0.15 inches to about 0.2 inches. 
     
     
         15 . The blade of  claim 11 , wherein an edge furthest from a rotational axis of the blade is curved. 
     
     
         16 . A mower, comprising:
 a plurality of wheels;   a deck assembly disposed between the plurality of wheels; and   a blade disposed in the deck assembly, the blade comprising:
 a central portion having a rotational axis coupled to a motor for rotating the blade; 
 a distal portion extending from opposing sides of the central portion, the distal portion being a cutting region of the blade when mowing and defined by the following:
 a non-zero leading angle defining an angle of attack; and 
 a non-zero camber percentage; and 
 
 an intermediate portion disposed between the central portion and the distal portion and configured to minimize an amount of torsional stress between the central portion and the distal portion. 
   
     
     
         17 . The mower of  claim 16 , wherein a gap between the blade and a cutting chamber of the deck assembly is about 0.03 to about 0.25 inches. 
     
     
         18 . The mower of  claim 16 , wherein each distal portion comprises about 25 percent or less of a total length of the blade. 
     
     
         19 . The mower of  claim 16 , further comprising a baffle disposed about the blade for controlling air flow within the deck assembly. 
     
     
         20 . The mower of  claim 16 , wherein the blade comprises a flat plate that is bent to form the distal portion and the intermediate portion.