Sensation Lawn Mowers was a commercial

lawnmower A lawn mower (also known as a mower, grass cutter or lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a lawn, grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the design of the mower, ...

brand created by Howard Phelps in 1944. The Sensation Lawn Mower Company was located in

Ralston, Nebraska Ralston is a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,494 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Omaha, Ralston is surrounded on three sides by the city of Omaha by 84th, 72nd, and L Streets, and by Sarpy County (Harrison ...

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

History

Howard Phelps received patent number 2,265,545 on his mowing machine, which featured a rotary cutting blade directly driven by an industrial quality electric motor in 1941. This very prototype still exists and is on display at the Pioneer Village Museum in Minden, NE. The Sensation Lawn Mower Company was started by Howard and his wife Rosemary Rodman Phelps. Phelps designed a gasoline powered mower in 1944. Later during the 1950s a generation of

snow blower A snow blower or snow thrower is a machine for removing snow from an area where it is problematic, such as a driveway, sidewalk, roadway, railroad track, ice rink, or runway. The commonly used term "snow blower" is a misnomer, as the snow is ...

s were developed under the name of Snow Blow. Phelps held patents on over 20 innovations in the lawn industry including the first for a rotary mower grass catcher U.S. patent number 2,855,744 in 1960. In 1966 Phelps sold the company to local real estate agent Frank Rogers who in turn sold it to a group of Chicago investors headed by Carl Johnson the plant was moved to 16th and Evans Streets in

North Omaha North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 (Iowa-Nebraska), Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River a ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. The "Sensation Mike Bike" was named after Frank Rogers son Mike. In November 1982 the Sensa after Frank Rogertion Lawn Mower Company was bought by Gilson Brothers,"Gilson History"
The Snow Blower Shop. Retrieved 7/1/08. which is considered one of the founding industries of Wisconsin by researchers at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. Gilson Brothers' products were distinctive due to a bright orange and white color scheme. In 1988 Gilson was bought out by Lawnboy, which was acquired in 1989 by Toro. Sensation brand lawn mowers are no longer produced but are still in use today. Mowers were available with the Sensation brand into the 1980s. The Sensation brand was preferred by many

landscaper Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

s because to their perceived high-quality and apparent longevity. The mower was considered unique because of features such as greaseable wheels, thick cast aluminum decks, and some unique innovations like a cone-shaped metal crankshaft support which was purported to help prevent bending of the crankshaft.

Brand timeline

* 1942 - Sensation Mower Inc. founded by Howard Phelps. * 1966 - Phelps sells the company to local

real estate agent A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

Frank Rogers. * 1967 - Rogers sells the company to a group of Chicago investors headed by Carl Johnson. * 1982 - Sensation Lawn Mower Company was bought by Gilson Brothers. * 1980s - Sensation Lawn Mowers cease to be sold.

References

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External links

"Sensation Mowers Users Group"
- Includes information on restoration and usage.
"Sensation-Mowers.com"
- Maintained by fans of the mowers dedicated to their collection, restoration and use. Lawn mower manufacturers Manufacturing companies based in Nebraska 1944 establishments in Nebraska 1951 disestablishments in Nebraska Agricultural machinery manufacturers of the United States