who made the very first zero turn lawn mower
Zero-turn mower In 1949, Warrensburg, MO resident Max Swisher invented the very first commercially available zero-turn mower and called it the "Ride King". It was a three-wheeled machine - one drive wheel in front and two in the rear. The patented system utilized the front wheel as the drive wheel that also was able to turn an amazing 360 degrees. The wheel was driven by the motor in the same direction 100% of the time. In order to reverse and/or utilize the zero turn capabilities, you simply turn the steering wheel 180 degrees and the mower would move in reverse. In 1963, John Regier was an employee of the Hesston Corporation, a manufacturer of farm and agricultural equipment. The company had recently engineered a device called the swather, which, propelled by a series of belts, cut hay, alfalfa and other farming materials and laid them out in windrows. The way the belts and pulleys operated allowed for counter- rotationâ€”a process which particularly struck Regier. An idea came to him one day: What if he could incorporate the same technology into lawnmowers?