Spotted a lawnmower on the highway? Make Mowing Great Again in the Sandhills

GORDON, Neb. - In America’s heartland, you're used to seeing all sorts of vehicles cruising down the highways, but how often do you see a lawnmower hitting the open road? That’s right, a lawnmower.

“Motorcycles, golf carts, pickups, cars—never a lawnmower though,” Mitch Gallant said.

This is a first for Mitch Gallant. Mitch, who works for News Channel Nebraska and The Twister radio, was tasked with the ultimate grass-roots test—how far can a lawnmower travel before it runs out of gas? Listeners trimmed down their predictions, ranging from less than a mile to around 225. The winner drives away with the mower.

“The closest to the actual distance to the tenth of the mile without going over,” Mitch said.

“A lot of community members around the area are asking on the streets and in the grocery stores. It’s a big event,” Modern Farm Equipment Store Manager Jason Anderson said.

One person who might have a decent prediction? Greg Bruckner is the territory manager for eXmark, the Nebraska company that made the mower.

“EXmark was founded in Beatrice, Nebraska in 1982. We still build and manufacture there today. That’s where our home office is,” Bruckner said.

Mitch started his trip in Gordon, Nebraska, and then he headed west on Highway 20, going through towns like Clinton and Rushville.

“I used to think that when I was on horseback a lot that you could see the land a lot better, but maybe it's on a mower. I didn’t know the ditches had so much in them,” Mitch said. “There’s all kinds of stuff, not just beer boxes and beer bottles and pop cans. There’s household furniture.”

After surveying the ditches and cruising down Rushville’s Main Street, Mitch made it a little further—going a distance of 20.6 miles. Three lucky guessers came close, each predicting 20.5.

“I’m excited to give this to someone. I can’t wait to see who it is,” Mitch said.

But you probably won’t see the winner cutting down the highway any time soon.