RE :The DAMN government had stayed out of things they had no business in..like that stupid thing on the new mowers you have to hold down so it will run,and that stupid rubber or metal shield that drags behind, and does no more than making it hard to push, if I didnt have sense enough to operate a mower safely,then I ought to get a foot cut off!:
Due to lawsuits the old vertical shaft/rotorie
push power has more stuff to protect the public from itself.
Back in 1969 Gibsons in Jackson,MISS (sort of a Kmart type store) had simple push mowers for 25 dollars. These had vertical shaft B&S or Tecumseh engines of 2.5 to 3 HP; often with FIXED Z height. We use to buy the upgraded version with adjustable wheels for 28 to 32 dollars and use them for 2 to 7 seasons cutting yards; then junk them when the repairs cost too much. My friend and I used them to cut folks yards and they really got abused.
Later the government got involved and the tip velocity got reduced and defined as a max spec, and often engines had to be a tad larger.
After lawsuits where some guys got hurt trimming a hedge with a mower held by two above the hedge; the added "dead man" have to hold handle to run got added. ie one has to hold the extra gizmo to all starting; with a clutchless direct drive model.
The added rubber flappers got added again due to folks getting hit by flying things hit by the mower. ie it is no longer 1950 when folks considered safety in running a mower. The flapper adds cost and drag and makes the mower harder to push; but protects the assuming type who is not as aware as many others.
The OHV; Over head valve engine got added to meet EPA requirements; these mowers use less gas and often have a better ignition, thus fewer whine about this requirement.
California versions of mowers sometimes add a detuning and added converter type muffler affair.
If one goes to Walmart type retailer and buys the starter gas push mower; today it might be just 135 dollars; similar to the old mowers I bought in 1969 for 28 to 32 bucks with adjustable wheels. The extra stuff added is the super long rope and dead man lever so Jim Bob tends not to trim hedges; ie to create a wider moat for lawsuits, since the USA is lawsuit heaven. The newer mower of 2011 in the photo has a deeper skirt in its metal "deck" to reduce projectile damage; the downside is the newer mower drags more and is harder to push.
Small Mowers for 70 years were rated in Horsepower; to add confusion this was dropped and now Torque is used.
