Making lawn mowing fun

Zero-turn-radius lawnmowers have been available since the mid 1960s. While they used to be used by professional lawn maintenance services, over the last four decades they have become increasingly popular with individual consumers.

The zero-turn-radius mower’s manoeuverability in small spaces and around obstacles allows operators to pivot 360 degrees in one spot for precision cutting. This ability - along with ground speeds up to 15 mph- reduces mowing time compared to the traditional lawn tractor allowing lawn maintenance services more profitability and consumers more leisure time.

Left and right steering levers directly linked to the mower’s transaxles provide the control of the mower’s speed and pivoting actions.

In the past, this control was provided by friction plates, but as mobile hydraulics have become more cost effective, manufacturers have adopted hydrostatic transmissions to operate and control the drive wheels.

One such company - Magic Circle Corporation - makers of the Dixie Chopper lawnmower, adopted hydrostatic transmissions for their new Silver Eagle mowers — a line of medium-duty, rear-engine, mid-deck mowers designed for the consumer and entry-level lawn maintenance markets. These hydraulic transmissions consist of two pump/motor combinations — one for each drive wheel.