Although the first lawnmower was patented as early as 1805 by Thomas Plucknett, it was not until 1830 when Edwin Budding of England introduced his roller model, that the traditional lawnmower was born.
Mechanical mowers first appeared in 1893 with a steam powered unit, followed shortly after in 1899 by an engine-based mower.
The modern mower is supplied in many variants including the cylinder mower and the hover mower. The cylinder mower works on the principle of a rotating blade. As the mower is pushed forwards, rotating blades shear off the grass very low to the ground. The cut grass is lifted and propelled by the spinning blades into an open grass box at the rear of the mower. Situated directly behind the blades is a heavy metal roller. As the grass is cut by the blades it is immediately rolled flat by the roller. It is the roller which gives the rather pleasing striped effect to newly mown lawns.
The hover mower operates on a totally different principle. An electric motor rotates a pair of flat horizontal blades underneath a plastic skirt. The blades both cut the grass and lift the mower slightly from the ground so that it may be easily moved over the lawn.
