Lawn Mowers Garden Nursery Landscaping Guide
Lawn Mowers Over The Years
By Joel F Mornigstar
An engineer named Edward Budding saw a bladed reel in a cloth
mill then proceeded to elaborate on it and built a reel lawn mower
during the 1830s. His original patent stated that a gentleman
of the country might find that using his machine would be a healthy,
useful and amusing way to exercise. Lawn mowers powered by gas
first began to appear around 1890 and the riding lawnmower is
approximately 100 years old.
Cast iron was the major material used in the early reel mower
and consisted of a large roller in the back and a roller in the
front, which was more like a cutting cylinder. Power was transmitted
by using gear wheels made of cast iron from the roller in the
rear to a cutting reel. Overall, the machines of today are very
similar to the original mowers of the 1830s.
Later Versions Of The Lawn Mower
The inventor was intelligent enough to allow other businesses
to build their own versions of the lawn mower under his license,
which resulted in more improvements and money. One of the first
companies to take advantage of that and start building their own
lawn mowers was Ransomes.
They have continued to improve upon their designs and have became
the world’s largest manufacturer of lawn care equipment, including
commercial lawn mowers. As the popularity of sports, such as croquet,
cricket, lawn tennis, rugby and football rose, it helped to produce
timely innovations. When the original patent lapsed it allowed
even more companies to introduce their products.
Motorized Lawnmowers
The motorized lawnmower engine began to appear around 1890, touted
as a lightweight gas engine or as small steam-powered engines.
For a number of years the steam-powered mowers were preferred,
but by the 1900s the gas mowers were pulling ahead in popularity.
The period after World War I saw more advanced technology and
people were starting to move into suburban type housing, which
increased the need for mowers and other lawn and garden tools.
Smaller And More Powerful Engines
Some people are not aware of the fact that these new modern ideas
that included rotary cutting and electric power were actually
first brought out during the 1920s and 1930s; however, they did
not become popular until a much later date. Lawn mowers went through
many innovations during that time and included improvements such
as a smaller but more powerful lawnmower engine and lighter designs.
The technological advancements continued to improve throughout
the 50s, which resulted in mowers that were more reliable, yet
less expensive. The rotary mower was produced by using lightweight
plastic and lighter gas and electric motors, which is considered
to be one of the major innovations.
About the Author:
Joel F Morningstar has written a number of articles on gardening
and landscaping including Front
Yard Landscape, Stone
Walkway, Coffee
Plant, Miniature
Fruit Trees, Pepper
Plant, Lawn
Swing, Fast
Growing Trees, Big
Backyard, Decorate
A House, Swing
Set Backyard, Backyard
Fountain, Patio
Garden, Backyard
Landscaping, Lawn
And Garden, Design
Landscaping, Lawn
Care, The
Lawn.
Keep a lookout for more of his articles on this website.
Little Known Lawn Mower Facts....
What are lawn mowers?
A lawn mower is a type of machine that has
rotating blades. The blades are sharpened and cut grass or weeds
into a uniform height. Over the years there have been many types
of lawn mowers invented so that people have a choice when it comes
to mowing their lawns.
Every lawn mower has an axis that turns
the blades. If it is a vertical axis then it is considered a rotary
mower. If it has a horizontal axis then it is known as a cylinder
or reel mower.
RECOMMENDED READING
|
