OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Machine Histories PATENT - MILLER - The First Rotary? - Thoughts

Hello ODK members,

So . . . who made the first rotary mower? That's not an easy question because there is
no easy answer - because of an important presupposition: what is a rotary mower?

This series of posts presents and discusses an important American patent - US1831681 - that many
historians claim to be the first rotary mower. I guess that's a fair claim, but only if we
can agree on what constitutes a rotary mower. The problem is definitional:-

I mean, borrowing from agriculture, the first lawn mowers were horticultural scythes. These hand-held cutters
were used by cutting in an arc. If the user continued cutting in an arc - say, 360 degrees - wouldn't you
get a rotary mower? You would, but that hardly gives us a rotary mower as we commonly understand them:-



JOSEPHUS MILLER'S PATENT:-
Miller's patent was filed October 19, 1928, and was granted November 10, 1931.
It was described as an "Edge Trimming and Mowing Machine". That is significant in itself in that the
protrusion of the blades beyond the frame enabled edges to be cut:

"A further object is to provide a machine in which the blade is effective to the extreme sides of the frame
and at the forward portion thereof between the front wheels, so that a close cut may be made..."

This patent feature is the forerunner of the "toe cutters" that defined AUS rotaries in the late 1940s
and the 1950s.

The patent also recognises that, "the cut is continuous regardless of the direction of movement of the machine."
This clearly is a defining feature of all rotary mowers. They cut forwards and backwards.
In fact, that feature was heavily utilised in rotary mower advertisements in the late 1940s and the 1950s.
It capitalised on the fact that reel mowers cannot do this.

A second defining feature of the domestic rotary (as we commonly understand them) is that it has a vertical crankshaft
motor coupled to the horizontal axis blade holder. The Miller patent has this as an object: "A further object
is to provide a motor for driving the cutting blade, which rotates on a vertical axis."

THE MILLER PATENT ILLUSTRATIONS:-
Illustrations or drawings form part of patent applications. I reproduce two drawings below before I
continue discussion of the features of the Miller Patent in the next section:-

THE MILLER PATENT - CONTINUED:-

So far I have said that in order to answer the question, "who invented the rotary mower" we
have to first define what we believe a rotary mower is.

There are non-negotiable features - it must have scythe action capable of cutting in more than one
direction. But there are considerable negotiable features:

- an enclosure or frame for the rotary scythe action.
- a means for adjusting the height of cut.
- a power source: electric motor or petrol engine.
- a coupling - direct or indirect?
- an engine axis - horizontal or vertical?

In the Miller Patent we have a directly coupled electric motor having
a vertical shaft. This patent does not envisage an alternate power source like a petrol engine.
It cannot be the first petrol-powered rotary mower.

It does have height of cut, achieved by moving the motor vertically (up and down) within
its support cradle/clamp. That certainly isn't the normal way to control height of cut on modern
rotaries - though it was the means used on our first Australian rotary - the Tecnico. The motor
and blade holder moved up and down.

This machine clearly has an enclosure - a frame - that somewhat encloses the rotary or scythe action.
That is a feature we have come to expect on any rotary mower (for safety more than anything).
It clearly has become a non-negotiable element, but it is not needed for rotary action to take place.
Indeed, the first slasher mowers (example: the British Hayter) had no real enclosure at all. The
"Toe Cutters" of the 1950s, likewise.

THE BLADE HOLDER & BLADES:-
For me, one of the amazing features of the Miller Patent is that it envisages two alternate cutting designs.
It has both the Blade holder and blades and the simpler bar blade. Amazing!



The blade holder and blades was the normal arrangement on vintage AUS designed rotary mowers.
However, our first rotary, the Tecnico, used a bar blade. Bar blades are favoured in modern rotary designs
because they are cheaper, and much less demanding on inventory.

SUMMARY:-
So is the Miller Patent the first rotary mower? Yes . . . and no. I have argued that any discussion of
"the first" must be qualified by our definition of 'rotary mower'

The Miller machine does present having most of the ingredients of a modern rotary.
It has the non-negotiable element of the horizontal scythe action. It will cut forward and backward.
It has many of the negotiable elements - direct vertical shaft motor, enclosed frame and height adjustment.

On the downside, the height adjustment is primitive; it doesn't envisage an alternative power source
such as a petrol engine; it has no grass collection system.

At this juncture I would like to mention one defining feature of any claim to being the first rotary.
It's whether the patent actually made it to production. That shall be discussed in the next post.

THE PIONEER:-

Miller's Patent machine did make it to production!
The Pioneer was manufactured by the Louisville Electric Manufacturing Company.
[Josephus Miller was also from Louisville, Kentucky].

The machine looks to be no wider than 12 inches, maybe less. It does appear to have a side skirt
(broken), and it does have unique 'air grills' in the frame. Interesting.

These photographs of the Pioneer are supplied courtesy of Jim Pell's Old Lawnmowers & Stuff.