Zero-turn mower

Both commercial duty and homeowner models exist, with varying engine power options, size of cutting decks, and prices.

Bush Hog (, Inc. of Selma, Alabama) mowers sometimes come with a small, pivoting fifth wheel mounted in the center behind the driver.

In 1949, Warrensburg, MO resident Max B. Swisher invented the very first commercially available zero-turn mower and called it the "Ride King".

In order to reverse or utilize the zero-turn capabilities, the driver simply turned the steering wheel 180 degrees and the mower would move backwards.

In 1963, John Regier, an employee at Hesston Corporation, developed a zero-turn lawnmower based on the company's agricultural swather, which used a counter-rotating belt-and-pulley mechanism to cut hay, alfalfa and other farming materials and lay them out in windrows.

[2][3] As of 2023[update], there are more than three dozen zero-turn mower manufacturers, offering a range of mid-mounted and out-front mowing deck options and accessories.

The tire speed is controlled by two levers that protrude on either side of the driver and typically extend over the lap (aka.

Pushing one lever forward and pulling the other back pivots the mower about its center by driving its wheels in opposite directions, creating a zero-radius turn.