WATCH: Shropshire engineer creates the world's fastest lawnmower that tops 140mph
A Shropshire man is celebrating the culmination of two years of hard graft as he set the Guinness World Records title for the fastest lawnmower.
Tony Edwards, a mechanical engineer from St Martins near Oswestry, set himself the unusual challenge two years ago in August.
Tony said: "I know that a guy from the UK had the record at one point, at 96mph. Then I think Honda had it at 116mph, and then a team from Norway did it at 132mph, and I thought I'd give it a try.
"I've always messed about with motorbikes and things since I was about 15. I built the whole thing from scratch.
"I got someone else in to do the welding on the chassis because I didn't trust my own welding. The front suspension is from a kit car and the rear suspension is from a trike conversion kit."
The engine is a mere 1300cc unit from a Suzuki motorbike that only puts down around 300bhp to the rear wheels.
And it cuts grass.
"It has to be able to cut grass. I had to send videos to Guinness to prove that it was a lawnmower," Tony added.
So, with almost two years to the day of hard graft, on a cloudy day in August, Tony took to the start line atop his creation. From a standing start, Tony was clocked at 143.193 miles per hour. For context, a Mitsubishi 3000GT or a Nissan 350Z would do around that speed.
And it can go faster. The official speed is 143.193, but Tony wanted to push the limits and came back to the testing track in Elvington Airfield, York, to see what the lawnmower could do.
"I turned the engine up but I realised that I was having a bit of trouble with the steering, and I decided that it just wasn't safe any more," he said.
It wasn't until a later conversation with a photographer that Tony discovered that the steering trouble was not caused my a mechanical gremlin, but rather an issue with his aerodynamic package.
"He asked me if I had trouble steering, and I said yes, and he showed me the picture of the front wheels off the tarmac. No wonder I had trouble steering."
Having beaten the world, including the engineering might of Honda, Tony is pleased with his achievement.
He said: "I am really chuffed. It was two years' work and a lot of effort.
"I suppose I'll have to find something else to do now."
