First 36in Walk Behind?

[wilkinson]

It seems like every professional lawn equipment manufacturer makes a similar 36in. gear drive walk behind so I'm curious where the design came from? Are these all basically copies of one companies original design or did this basic layout kind of evolve from many different mowers? Wes

[Evan528]

im not possitive but bobcat and exmark might have been the forst ones..... i see dome very old bobcats and exmarks around.... they look almost identical just painted diffrent colors.h

[dhicks]

I think Bunton made the first commercial walkbehind.

[GrassRoots Lawn Care]

I have been told that Bunton made the first commercial WB's, although I do remember seeing an old Flintsone's where Fred was walking behind a Wholly Mammoth, was at least a 48&quot;, pretty good cut too. Not positive though.<p>----------<br>Mike Reynolds,<br>GrassRoots Lawn Care, Florida

[fdew]

Well, this isn't exactely what you asked but ransome is the oldest lawnmower co. I think Locke might be the oldest producer of comercial walk behinds (The 70 in triplex came out in 1930) Gravely made a 30 in rotery mower that was often used for comercial mowing (it had a 16 lb 30 in blade) I seem to recal that Yazoo goes way back with walk behind rotery mowers.

[wilkinson]

Thanks guys, looks like Bunton came up with a pretty good design to be immitated this much. Wes

[little green guy]

I thought Dane Scag, the guy who founded scag was the guy who originally desienged it and Ransomes/bobcat was the first company to produce it. Then Dane Scag left Ransomes and formed scag mowers. Now I think he sold scag or something and is doing Great Dane. So ithink it was Ransomes/bobcat