The History and Evolution of Lawn Mowing

Though lawn mowing is now a routine part of our lawn maintenance and care strategies, it wasn’t always like this. The origins of lawn mowing are more recent than you may think.

Here is an in-depth look at lawn mowing’s beginnings, the development of the lawn mower, and modern advancements in lawn mowing technology.

The Origins of Lawn Mowing and Care

Lawn care, and thus lawn mowing, has changed throughout history based on different methods and available tools. Beginning in the Medieval times, the earliest examples of lawns were the grasslands around castles in France and Britain. That said, it wasn’t until the 16th century that people began intentionally cultivating lawns–though this was reserved for the wealthy.

Lawn mowing became widespread by the 1700s, though the lawn mower had yet to be invented. Landscape designers in France and England introduced the idea of well-kept, trimmed grass, but they had to use methods like grazing animals, shears, sickles, and scythes to do it by hand.

Thomas Jefferson is credited with bringing the European lawn care style to America in 1806, inspiring other wealthy Americans to do the same. In 1830, Englishman Edwin Bear Budding took inspiration from a carpet cutter to invent the first mechanical lawn mower. A century later, around 1938, homeownership rates increased, and a manicured lawn symbolized the American Dream.

Invention & Development of the Lawn Mower

As previously established, Edwin Bear Budding invented the first mechanical lawn mower in 1830. He was inspired by a machine he saw in a local cloth mill that used a bladed reel to trim cloth. His design was a mower with a series of blades around a cylinder and a large roller that powered the cutting mechanism with gears. It was 19 inches wide and made of wrought iron.

Some of his earliest mowers were sold to Oxford Colleges and Regent’s Park Zoological Gardens in London. Budding’s invention not only led to many other inventions and economic growth, but it also revolutionized the sporting industry, as football, cricket, and lawn tennis became easier to play with frequently trimmed lawns.

Here’s a timeline of lawn mower developments following Budding’s invention:

• 1859: Thomas Green creates the first chain-driven lawn mower
• 1868: Amariah Hills of Connecticut is granted the first United States patent for a simple reel mower
• 1870: Elwood McGuire from Richmond, Indiana, designs a lightweight, simple push mower for the masses
• 1899: John Albert Burr patents a mower with better rotary blades and traction wheels
• 1902: Ransomes produces the first internal-combustion-gas-engine commercial ride-on mower
• 1915: Ideal Power Lawn Mower Co. from Lansing, Michigan, brings gas-powered mowers to America based on Ramsomes’ design
• 1922: Ideal Power Lawn Mower Co. introduces the world’s first self-propelled riding lawn tractor
• 1948: Toro introduces an enclosed deck design
• 1953: Briggs & Stratton release the first lightweight aluminum engine
• 1955: Max Booth Swisher of Warrensburg, Missouri, manufactures the first commercially available zero-turn mower
• 1963: John Reiger patents full zero-turn radius technology
• 1969: S Lawrence Bellinger patents the first self-propelled lawn mower with automated or remote control operation, propelled by a battery
• 1995: Husqvarna launches the first fully robotic mower
• 1998: Husqvarna launches a completely automatic robotic lawn mower with a rechargeable battery
• 2012: Bosch Indego introduces lawn mapping
• 2021: Bosch and Husqvarna launch fully autonomous lawnmowers

Modern Advancements in Lawn Mowing Technology

According to our timeline, robotic lawnmowers have been around for quite some time. However, newer models are still seeing developments. These robotic lawnmowers use GPS, sensors, and algorithms to cut grass autonomously. They’re usually more efficient than human mowers as they can mow continuously and adjust their cutting patterns based on the size and shape of the yard. Robotic lawnmowers are also more environmentally friendly, as they run on rechargeable batteries instead of gas, producing fewer greenhouse gases. They encourage healthier lawns by maintaining consistent mowing patterns, which promote even growth and reduce the risk of grass disease. In the future, we can expect to see mowers with better navigation systems, increased cutting accuracy, enhanced battery life, and more customizable features. For example, there are robotic mowers with all-wheel drive, which equips them to handle more demanding lawns.