<P> 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 - rotation -- a process which particularly struck Regier . An idea came to him one day : What if he could incorporate the same technology into lawnmowers ? </P>
<P> 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 - rotation -- a process which particularly struck Regier . An idea came to him one day : What if he could incorporate the same technology into lawnmowers ? </P>
who built the first zero turn lawn mower
who built the first zero turn lawn mower
Max Swisher
Max Swisher