Blade Assembly

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a blade for a vehicle. Previous blade designs may pose cost consideration issues and may be laborious to install onto the vehicle. The blade disclosed herein may provide a simple, cost-effective, light-weight and robust design which is relatively easy to manufacture and assemble.

1 . A blade for a vehicle, the blade comprising:
 a main plate having a front face and a rear face opposing one another;   a lower elongate member disposed on the rear face and extending at least partway therealong;   an upper elongate member disposed on the rear face and extending at least partway therealong, the upper elongate member and the lower elongate member being spaced laterally apart so as to define a gap therebetween; and   one or more mounting pads disposed within the gap and having abutment portions configured for engagement with the rear face, the upper elongate member and the lower elongate member, wherein each of the mounting pads is configured for connection to the vehicle.   
     
     
         2 . The blade of  claim 1  further comprising a rib provided on the rear face, the rib extending from the lower elongate member towards the upper elongate member. 
     
     
         3 . The blade of  claim 2 , wherein a pair of the ribs are spaced apart from one another and extend beyond the upper elongate member. 
     
     
         4 . The blade of  claim 3  further comprising a mounting surface resting upon the pair of the ribs, the mounting surface configured for connection to the vehicle. 
     
     
         5 . The blade of  claim 3 , wherein the pair of the ribs are disposed proximate to an end of the blade. 
     
     
         6 . The blade of  claim 5 , wherein the main plate has opposed ends and each mounting pad is provided proximate to a respective end. 
     
     
         7 . The blade of  claim 6 , wherein the mounting pads are positioned between interior faces of the pair of the ribs. 
     
     
         8 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the upper elongate member is generally planar. 
     
     
         9 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein a cross section of the lower elongate member is generally U-shaped so as to define two limbs having free ends which mount to the rear face of the main plate. 
     
     
         10 . The blade of  claim 1  wherein a width of the lower elongate member covers at least a third of a width of the rear face of the blade. 
     
     
         11 . The blade of  claim 1  further comprising one or more support members extending from the upper elongate member towards a top portion of the main plate. 
     
     
         12 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the abutment portions are attached to a face of the mounting pad and extend outwards therefrom. 
     
     
         13 . The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the lower elongate member, the upper elongate member and the one or more mounting pads is a unitary component that is welded onto the rear face of the main plate.