You might have been using lawn mowers every weekend since you bought your first home, but do you know about the history of the lawn mower? Do you know what the first lawn mowers were? What about who invented the lawn mower? How about why the lawn mower became so symbolic of the United States? Read on to learn more about this quintessential piece of lawn equipment.
What Were the Original Lawn Mowers?
This one is pretty simple, but it deserves a spot in the story!
The original lawn mowers were livestock. Cows, goats, sheep, horses, and more were never meant to be lawn mowers, but their grass-eating habits were incidentally helpful in keeping the large, joint-grazing spaces that were common in the British Isles and other European countries. These would eventually lead to the creation of the park!
Who Invented the Lawn Mower?
The first lawnmower was invented in 1830 by Edwin Bear Budding, an Englishman. The design was inspired by a cloth-cutting tool reminiscent of pinking shears. Budding was a mechanic who repaired and built machinery for textile mills in England. The machine was designed to mostly cut flat ground in cemeteries, parks, and the grounds of large estates. Budding’s mower was a push mower made from wrought iron and was originally only nineteen inches wide.
The invention of the lawn mower was explosive for agriculture and society alike.
Timeline of the Lawn Mower
- 1830: Edwin Bear Budding invents the first lawn mower
- 1859: The chain mower makes its grand entrance
- 1922: Lightweight, rotary, push mowers show up on the scene
- 1955: The first zero-turn mower appears
- 1982: Exmark mowers changes the game
- 1995: The Lazer-Z is created
A Little About Exmark
Exmark was founded in 1982 with the goal to create mid-size, walk-behind mowers. As the landscaping market changed, Exmark changed in response and began to create commercial riding mowers. In 1995, it all changed when Exmark created the Lazer-Z, a mid-mount, zero-turn riding mower. Since then, Exmark has continued to create and deliver Exmark mowers; the brand more pros trust.
Why Mowers?
You might be wondering why mowers were invented, how did the world decide they needed lawns, and those lawns needed to be maintained? That story is a much longer one, but the short answer is industrialization! Europe began to create public parks and green spaces as industries boomed and grew and that, eventually, turned into the modern-day lawn.
Mowers as a symbol of the American Dream
Because the lawn mower is tied into the, well, lawn, it has become a quintessential symbol of the American Dream. But how did that happen?
When William J. Levitt created Levittowns, he created the square, green patch of land in front of our houses that we now know as lawns. Those lawns were meant to be representative of a communal space and a space that was well-tended. Thus, the lawn mower made its debut as a must-have item for the nuclear family.
And the rest is history!
