After seeing a bladed reel in a cloth mill, Edward Budding elaborated on it and invented the reel lawn mower during the early in 1830s. His patent stated that gentlemen might find using the machine to be a healthy, useful and amusing exercise. Gas powered lawn mowers first began to appear around 1890 and the riding lawnmower is now about 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.
Perhaps one of the smartest moves of the inventor was to allow others to build their own lawn mowers while still under his license, resulting in improvements and more revenue. Ransomes was one of the first companies to take advantage of that and started to produce their own versions.
The company is still very active in the lawn care environment and they have become the world's largest manufacturer of commercial lawn mowers and lawn care equipment. When the original patents lapsed and with the increase in popularity of certain sports, such as cricket, lawn tennis, rugby and football, other companies were able to begin manufacturing their own products.
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.
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.
