Today's commercial lawn mower looks nothing like the ride-on lawn tractor of old

The commercial lawn mower has been with us for almost two centuries!

It’s nearly 180 years since Mr. Edwin Budding invented his first grass cutter. The lawn mower has evolved from a heavy, hard-to-maneouver machine into a sophisticated commercial lawn mower, with assorted features and differing levels of speed and cutting precision.

Budding's invention also changed the look of homes, parks and fields around the world. Manicured lawns were no longer limited to the rich. Now simple, affordable cutting machines allowed middle-class homeowners to maintain healthy and attractive lawns themselves.

New powerful engines pushing or pulling more blades could provide a better cut. Gang mowers (several cutting units pulled by a tractor) became common for cutting turf in parks and on golf courses.

As cutting widths and productivity increased, riding mowers became commonplace. Cutting units could be found at the front of a rear-engine mower, or at the rear of a tractor-driven unit.

Today's lawn mower engines also make rotary blades more feasible on mowers. New high-power engines provide the power to spin the rotary blade fast enough to cut the turf effectively. Rotaries became more popular after World War II, as engines became cheaper and more powerful and the accelerating migration to the suburbs meant more people had larger lawns to maintain. Rotary machines were cheaper to make and maintain.

Today, machines are available with hydraulics that put more power and precision in a landscaper's hands. Mowers can mulch grass clippings, with no more hand raking required to clean the lawn once cut. By using levers instead of a wheel to steer a mower, zero-turn mowers can maneouver around obstacles and cut turf in areas that more conventional machines can't reach. Pneumatic tires have a light footprint and allow the mower to traverse soft ground such as golf greens.

Manufacturers are continually studying technological developments to see how they can build a better mower and reduce lawn mover repair.

The modern commercial lawn mower doesn't look anything like the lawn care equipment of the past. Today's lawn mower engines are high horsepower, electric start and clean running.

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