Max B. Swisher
1928-2015
Max B Swisher & The Ride King, 1949
The first-ever mention of a zero-turn mower stirred from southeast Johnson County, Missouri, in the year 1949 by a young man called Max Boothe Swisher just four years after he invented the self-propelled lawn mower.
The mowing machine looked like a tricycle with a steering wheel that determined the direction of the front tire so that to make full zero-radius turns, all you had to do was place the tire horizontally towards the direction you aimed to go and the drive wheels would propel you towards it. Easy peasy.
Swisher’s neighbors were blown away by this invention! Not only would they be able to mow the lawn a lot faster, but they also got to save time by making swift full turns. Even better? The mower had a seat for the user to sit on! That’s right– the first seat-and-ride lawn mower had to be towed by horses which is totally different from being able to drive and ride like you would with Max Swisher’s z-turn.
Swisher’s zero-turn mowers soon became hotcakes; a wish come true for many residents who – just like him – hated mowing their lawns. Mr. Swisher named his invention the Ride King and was dubbed the first-ever commercially available zero-turn mower; as fitting like a glove. After that, his company, Swisher Mowers & Machines continued their z-turn mower production which has exponentially evolved in the years past to suit the strict modern standards for an acceptable zero-turn mower.
Swisher Mower Started on the Old Roseland Site in Warrensburg, MO
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Swisher Mower and Machine - Warrensburg, Missouri - Max Swisher Founder/Inventor at the age of 22. Later in life he gifts Skyhaven Airport to UCM.
Swisher Mowers - A Humble Beginning
Swisher has a rather interesting and humble beginning. The story started off in Missouri when Max Swisher was mowing his lawn. Even before electricity came to rural Missouri, Max Swisher was busy at work, producing "handmade" lawnmowers from inside his mother's chicken coop. The truth is, Max never cared for mowing grass. What he did enjoy was using his creativity to invent easier ways to do things!
Max cleverly installed a gearbox on the family lawn mower creating a self-propelled mower. He then went about trying one end of a long rope to his new self-propelled mower, and the other end to a tree growing in the center of the yard that needed mowing.
Eureka! Max's new mower circled the tree, shortening the rope with each pass and guiding the mower in perfectly concentric circles.
Meanwhile, Max enjoyed his afternoon relaxing under a nearby shade tree while his invention did all the work!
Max had designed the first self-propelled rotary lawn mower. Neighbors noticed his new invention and began asking him to make more self-propelled mowers. That was the humble beginning of the Swisher brand which has been in business since 1945!
The rest as they say is history. Swisher Mower and Machine Company has not looked back since. It has been constantly designing innovative lawnmowers and accessories. The first riding lawn mower was developed by Swisher in 1955 while the first self-propelled lawn mower was developed by Swisher in the year 1945. The company’s headquarters are located in Warrensburg, MO.
It has a wide range of products which include but are not limited to turbo tillers, zero turn riding mowers, trail mowers, trail cutters and much more. Swisher is especially known for its trail mowers product. For further information about the company and the product, please visit their official website which is http://www.swisherinc.com (opens new window)
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| Max Swisher, Inventor of the first riding lawnmower. Warrensburg, MO. |
1946 Accident - Max Swisher
First Zero Turn Mower Invented by Max Swisher
First Self-Propelled Mower Invented by Max Swisher
1953 Swisher Mower New Factory
Roseland Packing Company - Site of First Swisher Mower Factory 1953
Aug 18, 1991 St. Joseph News-Press Max Swisher
1991 Max Swisher Solar Powered Composter
Max Boothe Swisher, 87, of Warrensburg, passed away peacefully on Oct. 30, 2015, surrounded by his family.
Max was born on April 19, 1928, in rural Southeast Johnson County, Mo. He was the son of Henry Samuel Swisher and Blanche Boothe Swisher. Max was the youngest of three children with two brothers, Jean Edwin Swisher, deceased and Ray W. Swisher who survives.
Max grew up on the family farm during the Depression, learning all types of skills from both his father and mother. His mother gardened and raised poultry while his father farmed, worked in a sawmill, fixed and traded farm equipment and ran threshing machines and crews. Max learned early what hard work and long hours were. He will be remembered for his generosity, extraordinary mechanical design abilities, business savvy, quick wit, great sense of humor and farm-smart approach to life.
Max attended country grade school until sixth grade and then attended Leeton grade school where he continued through high school graduation. He attended Central Missouri State College in 1946-47, taking industrial and mechanical classes. Max then took a job with Leonard Goodall at Goodall Manufacturing in Warrensburg.
Max became very interested in the lawnmower business and decided to build a lawnmower incorporating his ideas in the machine shop at his family’s farm. The first mower he developed and patented was a self-propelled rotary walk-behind mower with unique maneuvering capabilities. A few years later, he developed and patented a riding mower incorporating similar maneuverability and coined the description “zero-turning-radius”. Both his zero-turn mowers were first to market and decades before their concepts became the industry standard with all major mower manufacturers now offering versions of the concept. Today, the “Zero-Turning-Radius” term is used throughout the entire mower industry and represents a major category in total mower sales. Max pioneered several other products including pull behind ATV mowers, convertible string trimmer mowers, solar composters, and more.
In 1951, Max was drafted into the Army during the Korean War, serving his two years at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., where he served as a cadre leader. On June 9, 1951, he married Lorena Pryor of Warrensburg in Havre de Grace, Md.
In August of 1952, after returning from Maryland, Max incorporated Swisher Mower and Machine Co. and purchased the buildings that housed the former Roseland Meat Packing Co. at 333 E. Gay in Warrensburg. He moved the operation to this location and operated there until moving to the industrial park in 1999. The company sold products around the world and employed over 600 people at its peak.
In 1968, Max donated SkyHaven airport to the university, which birthed the aviation and other related programs. UCM honored Max with renaming the airport after him in 1993. In the 1980s he donated the Hickory Hills waterworks to water district No. 3, where it has been since used as a platform to provide rural water throughout southeast Johnson County.
As a serial entrepreneur and businessman, Max started or helped start several businesses and consulted many aspiring inventors and entrepreneurs. He thoroughly enjoyed hearing from aviation graduates as their careers progressed. He also enjoyed hearing from employees past and present, particularly the impromptu one-to-one chats in his office.
Max was a board member of the Chamber of Commerce for several years, as well as a member of the American Legion and Elks Club. He served as a member of the Warrensburg City Council from 1980 to 1986.
Max is survived by his wife of 64 years, Lorena Pryor Swisher; daughter, Marcy Erickson and husband, Dick; son, Jerry Swisher and wife, Cindy; and son, Wayne Swisher and wife, Kelly; four grandchildren, Nicki (Jason) Key, Sam (Katie) Swisher, Ann (Chris) Novosel and Dane Erickson; and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Sweeney-Phillips & Holdren Funeral Home in Warrensburg, with the Rev. Bill Runyon officiating and visitation services beginning at 1 p.m. Pallbearers will be Sam Swisher, Jason Key, Chris Novosel, Sean Kavanaugh, Dane Erickson, and Dick Erickson. Honorary pallbearers will be Bob Grainger, JC Myers, Clyde Fleener, Russ Crim, Don Downing, Kenny Jones, Dan Lockhart, Frank Summit, Bill Hash, Jim Houx, Gene Jaeger and Jack Thompson.
Burial will follow at Warrensburg Memorial Gardens with full military honors.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Warrensburg Food Center or Warrensburg Senior Center Home Meal Delivery Program and both can be left at the funeral home.
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| Ray W. Swisher. |
Ray W. Swisher, 96, of Warrensburg, passed away Friday, February 12, 2016, at his residence.
Ray was born on September 2, 1919, the son of Henry Samuel and Blanche (Boothe) Swisher, in rural Southeast Johnson County, near Leeton, MO.
Ray graduated from Leeton High School. After high school he worked at various jobs, including war-time factory work, and farming.
On July 19, 1941, Ray was united in marriage to Frances A. Barrow, in Stover, Missouri.
Ray owned & operated Swisher Grain Company, in Centerview, MO from the mid 1950’s until the mid 1970’s. In 1965, Ray opened Louie’s Farm & Home, known today as Swisher’s, on Hwy 13 N in Warrensburg. In the following years, Ray, along with other partners, opened Farm & Home stores in Lebanon, MO, Miami, OK, and Stillwater, OK.
Ray enjoyed hunting, fishing, and riding horses. He also enjoyed participating in trail rides, and touring the country with his wife Frances, in their motor home. He was a member of the Missouri Foxtrotter Association, the Truman Lake Ramblers RV Club, Elks Lodge #673 in Warrensburg, and was also a member of the Free Masons and Ararat Shriners.
Ray is survived by his son, Richard Swisher and wife Lisa of Warrensburg; grandchildren, Ray Evans Little and wife Sarah of Stillwater, OK, Stephanie (Swisher) Kiser and husband Ray of Warrensburg, Doug Swisher of Great Bend, KS; five great-grandchildren, Blake and Connor Little of Stillwater, OK, Addison Long, Mackenzie Kiser, and Cynthia Kiser, of Warrensburg.
Ray was preceded in death by his wife of 73 years, Frances, in November 2014; daughter, Sandra (Swisher) Maguire; son-in-law, Mike Maguire; brothers, Jean Edwin Swisher and Max Boothe Swisher.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, February 17, at 2:00 P.M. at the Sweeney-Phillips & Holdren Funeral Home in Warrensburg. Interment will follow in the Warrensburg Memorial Gardens Cemetery Mausoleum. Pallbearers will be Ray Little, Doug Swisher, Ray Kiser, George “Bill” Hash, Bob Hutton, Robert Trott, Jim Singleton and Dwight Stephens. The family will receive friends from 1:00 P.M. until service time at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Warrensburg Senior Center and can be left in the care of the funeral home.
The family would like to express a special thank you to Ray’s caregiver’s from Amy’s Loving Care and Crossroads Hospice.
Ray was born on September 2, 1919, the son of Henry Samuel and Blanche (Boothe) Swisher, in rural Southeast Johnson County, near Leeton, MO.
Ray graduated from Leeton High School. After high school he worked at various jobs, including war-time factory work, and farming.
On July 19, 1941, Ray was united in marriage to Frances A. Barrow, in Stover, Missouri.
Ray owned & operated Swisher Grain Company, in Centerview, MO from the mid 1950’s until the mid 1970’s. In 1965, Ray opened Louie’s Farm & Home, known today as Swisher’s, on Hwy 13 N in Warrensburg. In the following years, Ray, along with other partners, opened Farm & Home stores in Lebanon, MO, Miami, OK, and Stillwater, OK.
Ray enjoyed hunting, fishing, and riding horses. He also enjoyed participating in trail rides, and touring the country with his wife Frances, in their motor home. He was a member of the Missouri Foxtrotter Association, the Truman Lake Ramblers RV Club, Elks Lodge #673 in Warrensburg, and was also a member of the Free Masons and Ararat Shriners.
Ray is survived by his son, Richard Swisher and wife Lisa of Warrensburg; grandchildren, Ray Evans Little and wife Sarah of Stillwater, OK, Stephanie (Swisher) Kiser and husband Ray of Warrensburg, Doug Swisher of Great Bend, KS; five great-grandchildren, Blake and Connor Little of Stillwater, OK, Addison Long, Mackenzie Kiser, and Cynthia Kiser, of Warrensburg.
Ray was preceded in death by his wife of 73 years, Frances, in November 2014; daughter, Sandra (Swisher) Maguire; son-in-law, Mike Maguire; brothers, Jean Edwin Swisher and Max Boothe Swisher.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, February 17, at 2:00 P.M. at the Sweeney-Phillips & Holdren Funeral Home in Warrensburg. Interment will follow in the Warrensburg Memorial Gardens Cemetery Mausoleum. Pallbearers will be Ray Little, Doug Swisher, Ray Kiser, George “Bill” Hash, Bob Hutton, Robert Trott, Jim Singleton and Dwight Stephens. The family will receive friends from 1:00 P.M. until service time at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Warrensburg Senior Center and can be left in the care of the funeral home.
The family would like to express a special thank you to Ray’s caregiver’s from Amy’s Loving Care and Crossroads Hospice.
Max is recognized on a plaque at the National Air and Space Museum for donating the airport.
Breaking Ground at Skyhaven
Written by Trevor Martin, Staff Reporter
December 1, 2022
Earlier this semester project officials met to break ground at the new aviation facility located at Skyhaven Airport. After nine years of planning and preparation, the terminal expansion at Skyhaven Airport began Oct. 14. The original projected budget was set at $2.1 million, but thanks to additional grants and donations from the State of Missouri, and the University of Central Missouri alumni, the project budget has now been increased to $5.1 million.
Phase 1 of the expansion is scheduled to be completed during the Spring of 2023 and will allow the airport to better serve its aviation students and transient customer needs.
In October 2020, UCM contracted with McCown Gordon Construction out of Kansas City, MO. to deliver the materials, labor, and planning documents for the new 10,000 sq. ft facility. The original project only included a completed building exterior, with an unfinished interior. Since the funding for the project has increased, the expansions now include fully completed site work, terminal interior, and robust developments to the appearance of the building.
The new terminal will be placed at the center of the airport directly across from aircraft ramp parking and will include an abundance of new functions for transient traffic and flight students to take advantage of.
“The Aviation Center will provide a unified space for the flight school to operate. All our instructors and staff will now be under one roof instead of being spread out around the airport. This extra room will grant students more privacy during ground lessons with their instructors,” said Dan Dietz, Skyhaven Airport Manager.
He believes the improvements will help pilots.
“The new facility will include a pilot lounge area which will accommodate traffic with private resting areas, a bathroom, shower, and open seating that will allow for flight planning activities,” said Dietz. “There will also be 24/7 access to pilots arriving late at night or outside normal business hours.”
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new terminal took place on October 14 where faculty, staff, and alumni met to celebrate the facility and announce current developments to students and the community.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said UCM President Roger Best. “Although the airport is owned by the University, it remains the only Public Use Airport in the county and we are so grateful for the opportunity to serve as a partner with our communities to meet the economic development needs here as well the needs of our flying public.”
The faculty and staff employed at the airport express their sheer excitement for the addition to the airport property.
“I’m just so proud to be a part of an amazing and forward-thinking group of people in the Aviation department. It is an exciting time for students, the flight school, and our community to celebrate the accomplishments of being a nationally ranked program,” said Joanna Bachtel, Skyhaven Operations Coordinator.
In addition to the $2.8 million made possible through alumni donations, UCM was granted an additional $1 million from the State of Missouri for the aviation education center housed inside the terminal. The grant was made possible through the House Bill 19 Capital Reimbursement Program. UCM also plans to fund an additional $1.1 million with university funds and monetary support from the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.
The project has been organized into two separate phases with Phase One scheduled for completion in the Spring of 2023. Phase One includes the building’s shell with a finished interior that will allow for additional office space for faculty and flight instructors as well as more expedient placement for Aircraft Line Service and Dispatch procedures. Phase Two will include continuity for simulator training and additional classroom space. The completion date for Phase Two has yet to be announced.
The new facility at Skyhaven will also permit new expansion opportunities to take place at the airport. The placement of the building as well as its amenities will provide adequate services that pilots look for when making their decision to stop.
“The goal is to attract more traffic to Skyhaven, including turbine traffic. Over the long-term, this addition could lead to runway extensions that would allow business jets to land at Skyhaven and take advantage of our great amenities,” said Dietz. “This could also encourage businesses to base their aircraft at the airport which leads to additional revenue for the airport itself.”
The new aviation facility at Skyhaven airport will serve as a pillar in helping the educational and communal goals of the University of Central Missouri and the Department of Aviation for many years in the future to meet the high demand for aviation professionals and hold competitive placement among other training facilities around the nation.
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