You just look at your lawn mower sometimes and you wonder how it evolved to this stage. Like technology has made it so easy that you can just mow a very large yard in just a couple of minutes. Cue in robotic lawn mowers with voice command and you are about to get your mind blown. But actually, when was lawn mower invented. This post was designed to share with you the evolution of lawn mower. And if you are here, we admire your curiosity. It’s going to be a funky ride. Belt up!
The lawn mower, as we know it today was invented by an Engineer from Stroud, Gloucestershire, England in the year 1830. His name was Edwin Beard Budding. The idea was birthed in him when he saw a machine in a cloth mill used to trim fabric and make a very smooth finish. So he thought that implementing this idea would be suitable to mow a lawn if the mechanism will support blades to rotate close to the lawn’s surface. Knowing that inventing this machine was going to be a success, he went further to partner with an Engineer named John Ferrabee where they started making mowers in a factory in Stroud. Some of their early inventions can be found in the London Science Museum, Milton Keynes Museum and the Stroud Museum.
These two engineers were so smart that before 1832, they had their products patented and started allowing other companies produce their mowers.
Ransomes of Ipswich was one of the most successful and they still make gardening equipment and machinery till date! The lawn mowers produced that time were made of cast iron and a very big roller at the back.
At the front, there was a cutting cylinder (called a reel). Gear wheels made of cast iron was used to transmit power from the back of the lawn mower to the cutting cylinder in front.
TIMELINE OF LAWN MOWER EVOLUTION
After lots of companies started producing, it took another 10 years for the first lawn mower that could be attached to an animal to be produced. This was done in 1842 by Alexander Shanks, a Scotsman.
After that period, it became open season for lawn mower production, as it only went on to improve as time went on.
Chain driven lawn mowers
The first lawn mower that was chain driven was first produced by Thomas Green in 1859. This means that the mower was a lot lighter as compared to the earlier types and this was so much of a big deal.
Thomas Green’s machine was referred to as Silens Messor meaning silent running. Between that time and 1921, various companies across the world patented different designs of push lawn mowers.
It was in 1902 that Ransomes produced the first lawnmower that was operated by an internal combustion engine. After 1902 lots of companies especially British had good success in producing internal combustion lawn mowers that were chain driven.
Rotary push lawn mowers
This was about the first lawn mower that was compact enough to be stored in a garage. It was produced by Toro Motor Company in the year 1948. They were the first to design push lawn mowers with an enclosed deck design.
The engine for most of these products was made by Briggs and Stratton. Briggs and Stratton had their reputation from making military and agricultural equipment.
Zero-turn lawn mowers
John Reiger, a Hesson Corporation staff, patented a zero-turn radius technology that was propelled by belts to cut hay. All of these happened in 1963. But in the year 1964, John Reiger sold the patent to Hesston Corporation.
However, Hesston later went on to become Excel Industries which was the mother company of Hustler Turn Equipment. Hustler and BigDog lawn mowers come off their staples.
Now we have more than 300 models of lawn mowers that boasts of zero-turn technology. About 14 manufacturers are already in this business.
Robotic lawn mowers
Fast forward to the year 1969, S Lawrence Bellinger was the first person to patent the first self-propelled lawn mower. The company he worked for at the time was Mowbot Inc.
Most of their lawn mowers featured designs propelled by an automated system, remote control or battery power. Their general working principles was that they were implanted with sensors that made them mow around obstacles in the yard and later return to their docking station when they were through mowing, or it was beginning to rain.
All of these functions were done automatically by the lawn mower with little or no human supervision. In 1995, there was a major revolution in the robotic lawn mower business in the United States of America.
Husqvarna produced the first lawn mower that was solar powered. The solar energy was enough to power the cutting system and wheels of the lawn mower. And then in 1998, the same company did something spectacular.
They produced a lawn mower that was capable of mowing 24 hours in a day irrespective of the weather condition at that given time. It was called the AutoMower. This special lawn mower was powered by a rechargeable battery.
The evolution of robotic lawn mowers did not stop there. Bosch Indego produced lawn mowers that had lawn mapping.
This allowed the lawn mower mow the yard in a very systematic manner, rather than just mowing the lawn with a haphazard movement.
Their first product was made in 2012. You could activate the lawn mower using voice control by Alexa and Google home.
In April 2021, something crazy happened in the world of lawn mowers. Toadi has a self-driving robotic lawn mower that captures what your lawn looks like, creates a map of it, and mows your lawn perfectly, avoiding all obstacles.
It is powered by a camera that’s equipped with night vision. This means that the lawn mower can work at night. It is also important to note that the Toadi’s self-driving lawn mower is referred to as a “she”.
WHAT SAFETY ISSUES ARE RELATED TO LAWN MOWER INVENTIONS
Research has shown that rotary lawn mowers had the ability to throw off dirt and debris with utmost energy that can hit people around.
For a self-powered push lawn mower, the user has to be careful or attentive enough as the blade can cause severe injury to the user.
That’s why it had to evolve into machines that had a “dead man’s switch” which could shut off the blade when the user wasn’t holding it.
DID LAWN MOWERS IMPACT THE ENVIRONMENT OVER TIME?
Lawn mowers produce GHG (greenhouse gas) effect. In fact, a lawn mower is capable of producing the same amount of CO2 emission in an hour as a 1992 model car does in 650 miles.
Some countries had to put laws into place to mitigate some of these issues. Lawnmowers have also been known to produce lots of noise pollution.
This could make the user lose his or her sense of hearing if the user mows the lawn for a long period of time without using some form of protection.
To be honest, most of these potential environmental hazards can be checked by using battery powered and robotic lawn mowers. But if you must stick to the gasoline type, always remember to wear ear plugs or ear muffs.
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMPANIES IN LAWNMOWER EVOLUTION
The Atco motor mower under the brand name Charles H Pugh Ltd made about 900 cut machines that costs about £75. In just about five years starting from 1921, production had increased to tens of thousands. Another company named Qualcast sold millions of copies with their E Sidewheel and Panther roller lawn mowers between 1920 and 1930. These companies were some of the most successful in their time.
Conclusion
Lawn mowers have come a long way. Its evolution is interesting. So when you are about to start mowing your lawn, always remember the name: Edwin Beard Budding.
