The lawn mower was invented in 1830 by Edwin Beard Budding, an England engineer.
He obtained the idea after seeing a machine in a local cloth mill which used a cutting cylinder (or bladed reel) mounted on a bench to trim cloth to make a smooth finish after weaving. Budding realised that a similar concept would enable the cutting of grass if the mechanism could be mounted in a wheeled frame to make the blades rotate close to the lawn's surface. He went into partnership with a local engineer and together they made mowers in a factory. |
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By the 1850s, Budding's early patents had lapsed and other companies were able to introduce their own machines. In the middle of the decade, Thomas Green and Son of Leeds introduced a mower called the Silens Messor (meaning silent cutter), which used chain to transmit power from the rear roller to the cutting cylinder. These machines were lighter and quieter than the gear driven machines that preceded them, although they were slightly more expensive... These models, in various sizes and with minor modification, were in production well into the 20th century. |
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The next major innovation in lawn mower design was the introduction of the sidewheel machines. Although invented in England , these machines were popular in North America where grasses are often coarser than in Europe . They had cast iron wheels at each side which drove the cutting cylinder directly by means of ratchets inside the castings. They did not have a metal rear roller, and were very light and inexpensive to make, which made them very popular all over the world.
Power mowers appeared in the 1890s as lightweight petrol engines and small steam power units became available. Although steam mowers were the preferred choice for a few years, by 1900 petrol engined mowers were winning in the market.
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One of the most successful companies to emerge during this period was Atco, at that time a brand name of Charles H Pugh Ltd. The Atco motor mower, launched in 1921 was an immediate success. Just 900 of the 22in cut machines were made in 1921, each costing ¡ê75. Within five years, annual production had accelerated to tens of thousands. Prices were cut and a range of sizes was available, making the Standard the first truly mass produced motor mower. |
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Surprisingly, seemingly modern ideas such as electric power and rotary cutting were all tried out in the 1920s and 30s, although they did not become popular until much later. Innovations in the 1930s and 40s led to lighter designs and smaller, more powerful petrol engines. By the 1950s lawn mower technology had advanced greatly and machines were inexpensive and generally reliable. The introduction of plastic components in the 1960s reduced costs further still, although traditional designs were similar. |
Nowadays, Lawn mowers is widely used by EU and North America families, some sports lawn and Golf lawn. Lawn mowers has becoming a big business in the world. In china, there are about 30 factories who producing the similar products and the quantity of factory is still increasing. Ningbo Daye power machinery co., Ltd is a professional manufacturer of electric and gasoline lawn mowers with eight years' experience. It has becoming the largest and the best lawn mower company in china.
  All their products are exported to EU, North America, Australia and other countries.
China has becoming the manufacturing center of the world and Chinese lawn mower companies will do something for the history of lawn mowers.
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