Mower History — Part II

Following World War I, mass production and the general awakening of the American industrial giant brought forth a host of power-mower and hand-mower manufacturers. From1918 to 1925, millions of the familiar hand-push reel mowers were made by scores of manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad. By1925, however, the gasoline-powered reel mower began to take a bigger and bigger share of the market. For example: in 1924, 880,000 hand-push mowers, totaling $7,000,000, were sold in the U.S. In the same year, 5,000 reel-type power-mowers were sold for a total of$1,250,000.

1920s — One of the first rotary power mowers, produced in the late 1920s. Note the belt drive.

1920s — One of the first rotary power mowers, produced in the late 1920s. Note the belt drive.

Toward the middle of the 1930s, the rotary power mower, featuring a horizontally-mounted cutting blade, began to appear on the American home scene. This was the first and most significant advance in a century of lawn mowing.

Since World War II there have been great strides in the development of power mowers. The rotary has become increasingly popular: in 1958, approximately 90% of the power mowers sold were rotaries, either self-propelled or push-propelled.

 

1934 — The 1934 "Lawn-Boy" was manufactured by Evinrude. Self-propelled chain-and-drive-reel Type

1934 — The 1934 “Lawn-Boy” was manufactured by Evinrude. Self-propelled chain-and-drive-reel Type

Lawn-Boy became the country’s first production-line manufacturer of complete power mowers, including engines, in the early 1950s, when Outboard Marine bought out the Roto Power Mower Company of Kansas City, Missouri, one of the very first rotary-power manufacturers.

Power mower sales in 1971 exceeded 5,500,000 units. The walk-behind rotary accounted for 4,700,000, or 85% of all power mower sales, according to the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute. About 80% of the sales in 1971 were for the replacement of the 38,000,000 power mowers currently in use in the United States. Sales of rider mowers and lawn tractors have grown to over 800,000 units annually.

Lawn-and-garden business is booming and will continue to boom. Saturation? It will help, not hurt, the quality manufacturer.

1959 — The new Lawn-Boy QUIETFLITE ushered in the "Golden Age of Power Mowing " Its moving working parts are completely sealed and insulated. QUIETFLITE in 1959 was the last word in modern quiet power-mower development.

1959 — The new Lawn-Boy QUIETFLITE ushered in the “Golden Age of Power Mowing ” Its moving working parts are completely sealed and insulated. QUIETFLITE in 1959 was the last word in modern quiet power-mower development.