 Budden got his idea from a cross-cutting device used in textile making that uses a cutting cylinder to trim the uneven nap from woolen cloth and give it a smooth finish. His device, which he reportedly tested at night to protect the idea from being stolen, used a 19-inch frame made of wrought iron. The mower was pushed from behind. The rear roller drove gears to transfer the drive to the knives in the cutting cylinder, and there was an additional roller placed in between the cutting cylinder and the land roller, which was adjusted to alter the height of the cut.