Patent ID: 8122697

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a cover defining an interior chamber, the cover comprising a top and an end plate having an inlet opening; a cutting box, the cover being mounted on the cutting box; a blade reel assembly within the cutting box, the blade reel assembly including at least one blade, and being configured to rotate about an axle, thereby defining a circumference; a generally planar baffle attached at a top end to an edge defined by the end plate and the top of the cover, wherein the baffle is adjacent at a bottom end to at least one side wall of the cutting box, and further wherein the bottom end of the baffle is curvilinear, and at least partially encompasses the circumference of the blade reel assembly; a cutting bar disposed proximate to the circumference of the blade reel assembly; and a mesh screen disposed beneath the blade reel assembly, proximate to the circumference of the blade reel assembly.