1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of lawnmowers. More specifically, the invention comprises a modularized replacement blade which can be attached to a conventional lawnmower shaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
The overall design of the gas-powered and electric-powered lawnmower cutting system has remained unchanged in recent decades. The overall design uses an electric or gas motor to turn a shaft which extends in the direction of the ground beneath the motor. The shaft extends through a hole into the blade housing where a blade is attached to the shaft. The motor drives the shaft causing angular rotation of the blade within the housing. Grass that extends above the height of the blade is cut and discharged from the housing.
Various lawnmower replacement blades are known in the art. The designs of the replacements blades vary significantly and have been the subject of many U.S. patents. Although great efforts have been made to improve the design of replacement lawnmower blades, these designs have their shortcomings.
As an example, most commercially available blades are ineffective at neatly cutting grass when the grass is wet, tall, or thick. The rotation of a conventional blade slows down under these conditions as the lawn provides greater resistance to cutting. This resistance can often escalate as the rotation of the cutting blade continues to slow until the blade eventually stops. The escalation of resistance occurs because, as the blade slows down, the force at which the cut grass is ejected decreases. This results in the accumulation of cut grass in the housing which increases the force required to turn the blade.
Even under ideal cutting conditions, conventional blades are ineffective at “cutting” the grass. As a conventional blade begins to dull, more grass is “torn” than “cut.” As the blade strikes the grass, some of the grass is pulled by the blade until it breaks. This “tearing” of the grass results in increased cellular damage to the grass. This often causes the tip of the blade of grass to appear brown. It has also been noted that the increased cellular damage causes the grass to grow more quickly which requires more frequent mowing.
It is therefore desirable to provide a replacement lawnmower blade that is more effective at cutting grass when the grass is wet, tall, or thick. It is also desirable to provide a replacement lawnmower blade which will cut the grass without producing excessive cellular damage of the grass blades.