Do Kids Mow Lawns Any More?

When I was 12 years old I began mowing lawns to make summer money. We lived on an acreage, almost 2 acres, at the edge of Marshalltown. Hence, I mowed with riding lawn mowers -- my dad's Sear Suburban garden tractor, a neighbor's Cub Cadet, another neighbor's Snapper, etc. That's why I enjoyed talking to Butch Kupka of rural Toledo for today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette. Butch has a collection of about 100 riding lawn mowers.

Those that don't look like tractors Butch calls "oddball." Many of them most certainly are, including the 1950s Fairbanks Morse (pictured in an ad, left) with bright turquoise fenders, the engine under the seat and a step-through front end that resembles a scooter. I never drove one of these but they look like fun.

While I enjoyed driving the garden tractors, I had fun with the Snapper. (A newer one is pictured at right but they haven't changed much over the years.) As I'd mow along at something like 3 mph, the roar of the engine in back reminded me of a go-kart. I never had one of those so it was the closest I would come. This mower was also much more maneuverable than the garden tractors so I didn't need to use a push trim mower to cut around the trees, bushes and gardens.

After we moved to Spencer in 1969 and left the acreage behind, I teamed up with a neighbor to mow lawns. We would each use a push mower, one of starting in the back yard and the other starting in the front until we met up at the conclusion of the job. We advertised that we could get your lawn mowed twice as fast with half the noise. (Inventive kids, huh?) We had move than a dozen lawns at one time so it kept us busy for the summer.

It all got me to wondering. Do kids mow lawns any more? I mean, other than their own? It used to be a great way to make some money before you turned 16 and could get a real job. And, since I was lucky enough to ride, I'd say it was more fun than playing video games.