The History Behind Zero-Turn Mowers

Lawn mowers have been around for a long time, but zero-turn mowers are a more recent innovation. These powerful and accurate mowers make tending to your grass a breeze. Landscapers and homeowners alike can enjoy the benefits that zero-turn mowers have to offer. This quick history will teach you how zero-turn mowers were developed. 

Initial Creation

American inventor Max B. Swisher of Missouri is the man behind the creation of the first zero-turn mower. Swisher’s design featured a single driving wheel up front, with two wheels at the rear. However, the zero-turn effect was more challenging back then, as the mower had to be reversed to achieve it.

Innovation

Over the course of the 1960s, zero-turn mower designs were improved by a couple of different corporations. An employee at equipment manufacturer Hesston Corporation, John Regier, took note of the company’s swather and its belt-and-pulley system which spun each half of the machine in a different direction. When Reiger put this system into a standard riding mower and added a second lever to the steering system, he created a better zero-turn mower.

Reiger decided to sell his patent to the company Hustler Turf, which produced its own zero-turn mower. The Dixon Company is behind the name “zero-turn mower,” which stuck to every subsequent mower produced. In the 1990s, a single-lever steering mechanism was created by Robert D. Davis, Jr., which simplified the mower’s operation.

When you’re ready to shop for a new or used zero-turn mower for sale near you, visit our dealership in Newton, NC, to see what we’ve got in stock. New South Tractor proudly serves our customers in the greater Asheville, NC, metropolitan area.