The piece of equipment that I remember best was a 19" Toro "RecyclerMower". My parents picked it up used at some point in the late 80's - whenever it was that the idea of GrassCycling really took hold. Toro was marketing this piece of work as a mulching mower. It was the first I had ever heard of the concept of "mulching" grass clippings, but as a fairly young kid mowing a fairly big yard, I was immediately a fan of the idea. Environmental stewardship had less to do with it than the simple fact of never having to stop, empty the bag, and eventually pull the usually overloaded tarp back to the compost pile. But in retrospect I do think it was a bad drought year, so I was helping the grass as well.
The mower had an adjustable speed rear wheel drive that broke very quickly. It might have been broken when they bought it, but it would tease you by occasionally engaging the drive mechanism, and then quitting when you really could use it. We never bothered to get it fixed, so for the entire life of the machine it would take off on flat ground and require you to muscle it up hills. Really charming.
I used the mower a lot growing up, and when I got married and bought a house of my own, I was surprised to find it still lurking in shadows of my parents' garage. They didn't need it any more, so I inherited it. I had a small yard, but it's amazing how heavy a mower like that can be. It was designed to be propelled, so the focus was not on ergonomics. It had tiny wheels that usually spun, and usually stayed in a straight line. Usually.
After about one season in my new house I was fully ready to get a new mower. Unfortunately, I've got this hangup about buying a replacement when the one I've got works. So I kept waiting, figuring that it had to stop working sooner or later.
Another season went by. It became a bit of a battle. I stopped checking the oil. I started on the first pull. I left it full of gas in my shed all winter, it roared to life the next spring without complaint. (Please note: this is not a good way to treat a mower).
Finally I lost the battle. After several years of abuse at my hands, my trusty RecylerMower, with the broken drivetrain and holes in the deck, outlived my willingness to keep it. I bought a new house and got a new mower. I donated the old one though, and I'd lay a bet that somebody out there is still using it today.