Cutting disk and system for vertically mowing turf

A vertical cutting cylinder rotationally mountable within a reel head assembly of turf-care vehicle for vertically cutting grass surfaces, said vertical cutting cylinder comprising:

• a shaft structured and operable to rotationally mount the vertical cutting cylinder within the reel head assembly;
• and
• a plurality of vertical cutting disks mounted to and spaced apart along the shaft, each vertical cutting disk comprising:
• a flat center plate mountable to the shaft, the center plate defining a center plane of the disk;
• a plurality of teeth extending from a circumferential edge of the center plate, each tooth comprising:
• a base that extends from the circumferential edge of the center plate and lies in the center plane of the disk;
• and
• at least one blade extending from the base at an offset angle, each blade comprising:
• a neck extending from the base at the offset angle;
• and
• a tip, wherein the entire tip extends radially outward from the neck relative to the center plane substantially parallel to an outward direction of radii of the center plate such that the entire tip is offset from the center plane, the tip also extending from the neck at a yaw angle relative to the center plane such that when the disk is rotated about a rotational axis of the shaft a leading edge of the tip will rotate in a different rotational plane than a trailing edge of the tip.

A turf-care vehicle for vertically cutting grass surfaces, said vehicle comprising:

• at least one reel head assembly;
• and
• a vertical cutting cylinder rotationally mountable within each reel head assembly, each vertical cutting cylinder comprising:
• a shaft structured and operable to rotationally mount the vertical cutting cylinder within the respective reel head assembly;
• and
• a plurality of vertical cutting disks mounted to and spaced apart along the shaft, each vertical cutting disk comprising:
• a flat center plate mountable to the shaft, the center plate defining a center plane of the disk;
• a plurality of teeth extending from a circumferential edge of the center plate, each tooth comprising:
• a base that extends from the circumferential edge of the center plate and lies in the center plane of the disk;
• and
• at least one blade extending from the base at an offset angle, each blade comprising:
• a neck extending from the base at the offset angle;
• and
• a tip, wherein the entire tip extends radially outward from the neck relative to the center plane substantially parallel to an outward direction of radii of the center plate such that the entire tip is offset from the center plane, the tip also extending from the neck at a yaw angle relative to the center plane such that when the disk is rotated about a rotational axis of the shaft a leading edge of the tip will rotate in a different rotational plane from a trailing edge of the tip.