My grandfather John F. Engler, that is my Dad’s Dad, owned Engler Manufacturing Company in Houston, Texas back in the 60’s. Engler Manufacturing was best known for making the “Terrain King” mowers, which were the first wide-swath flex-wing highway mowers available. Engler Manufacturing Company was bought by Alamo Industrial in 1969 for $2.1 Million, today Alamo Industrial is based in Seguin, Texas, and is traded on the NYSE as ALG.

Who’d have guessed my grandfather had some patents in his name:

• Patent number: D157473
  SPRAY GUN FRAME
  Issue date: Feb 1950
• Patent number: 2828968
  WHEEL HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
  Issue date: Apr 1958
• Patent number: 2952961
  MOWING DEVICE
  Issue date: Sep 1960
• Patent number: 3115738
  MOWING DEVICE
  Issue date: Dec 1963
• Patent number: 3267651
  MOWER DRAWBAR CONNECTION
  Issue date: Aug 1966
• Patent number: 3334476
  RESILIENT SUPPORT FOR A ROTARY MOWER HOUSING
  Issue date: Aug 1967
• Patent number: 3435599
  WHEEL MOUNT
  Issue date: Apr 1969

Pretty cool if you ask me.

I just found an listing on eBay for an ad from 1964 of a Terrain King mower. Kind of silly, but I bought it for $10, and it’ll be here later this week. I’ll frame it and we’ll hang it in the hall way I think, and be able to show Jack and Grayson what their great-grandfather used to make.