If you searched this question, something probably triggered it. Maybe your local dealer closed. Maybe you noticed fewer ads. Maybe you just couldn’t find much online chatter about the brand. Those are reasonable things to notice — but they don’t always mean what they seem.
This article covers the current status of Grasshopper Mowers, why this question keeps coming up, and how to tell the difference between a company in real trouble and one that’s simply low-profile. If you own a Grasshopper or are thinking about buying one, this is what you actually need to know.
Grasshopper Mowers Is Still in Business
The short answer is no — Grasshopper Mowers is not going out of business based on available evidence.
The Grasshopper Company is headquartered in Moundridge, Kansas, and operates under its parent company, Moridge Manufacturing. The official website at grasshoppermower.com is active and lists current zero-turn mower models, attachments, a dealer locator, parts pages, and service information. That’s not what a company winding down looks like.
There are also dealer walkthrough videos covering the 2024 Grasshopper mower lineup on YouTube, which confirms recent production and an ongoing product rollout. A business shutting down doesn’t invest in new model year content and dealer training materials.
As of the available sources, there are no credible reports of bankruptcy, plant closures, major layoffs, or an acquisition that would signal the company is in trouble. If that changes, it will likely show up in local Kansas news, industry trade publications, or official business filings — and none of those currently point to a problem.
Why People Think Grasshopper Might Be Closing
The confusion is understandable, but it mostly comes down to one thing: Grasshopper is a smaller, specialized manufacturer, not a mass-market brand like John Deere or Toro.
Smaller brands run fewer national ad campaigns. They get fewer forum threads. You’re less likely to see them mentioned in a casual conversation about mowers. That kind of low profile can make a brand look like it’s fading, even when it’s actually stable.
The most common trigger for this question, though, is a local dealer closing or dropping the product line. Someone walks into the mower shop they’ve used for years and finds out it no longer carries Grasshopper — or it’s gone entirely. From that person’s perspective, the brand has disappeared. But the dealer and the manufacturer are two different businesses. One closing doesn’t mean the other is in trouble.
Online forum discussions have noted that Grasshopper gets noticeably less “hype” than competitors. A thread on LawnSite titled “Why is there not much love/info here for Grasshopper mowers?” captured this dynamic well. Users pointed out that the brand is respected among long-term commercial operators, but it simply doesn’t generate the same volume of online discussion as other brands. Less chatter online gets misread as a sign of decline — but those aren’t the same thing.
There’s also a historical footnote that sometimes causes confusion. Grasshopper’s manufacturing partnership with Woods ended in 1994. Some people read that as “Grasshopper went out of business in 1994,” but that’s not what happened. Grasshopper was building mowers for Woods under an OEM arrangement. When that arrangement ended, Grasshopper kept making its own mowers. Ending one business relationship is normal — it’s not a company failure.
The Difference Between a Dealer Closing and a Manufacturer Closing
This is the most important distinction to understand, and it’s where most of the confusion comes from.
A dealer is an independent business. They sell the brand, but they’re not the brand. They can close for any number of reasons — retirement, lease issues, low sales volume, a decision to carry a different product line. None of that directly affects the manufacturer.
Here’s a concrete way to think about it. Say a landscaper has been buying Grasshopper mowers from the same local shop for ten years. That shop closes. Suddenly there are no Grasshopper units on display in town, no local service center, and no one nearby to call with questions. That landscaper searches “is Grasshopper going out of business” — and lands on exactly this kind of article.
But the manufacturer is still operating in Moundridge, Kansas. Other dealers exist. Parts are still available. The company didn’t shut down because one dealership did.
Grasshopper’s website includes a dealer locator that lets you find authorized dealers by location. If your local dealer has closed or stopped carrying the brand, that’s a practical problem worth solving — but it’s a different problem than the manufacturer being in trouble. Use the locator to find the next closest dealer, or contact the company directly about parts and service options.
This distinction matters whether you’re shopping for a new mower or trying to maintain one you already own.
What Grasshopper’s Product Line Says About the Company’s Health
One of the most practical ways to assess a manufacturer’s health is to look at what they’re actually producing. Active companies invest in new products. Companies winding down stop doing that.
Grasshopper currently offers a lineup of both front-mount and mid-mount zero-turn mowers, along with a range of attachments — snow blowers, dozer blades, and collection systems, among others. That’s a full, functioning product catalog, not a clearance shelf.
The 2024 model year rollout, documented in dealer walkthrough videos, shows that the company is still putting resources into product development and dealer support. You don’t film new lineup videos and coordinate dealer training if you’re planning to shut the doors.
Grasshopper’s own marketing language is also worth noting. Their messaging emphasizes that they don’t rush products to market and that mowers go through extensive testing before release. That’s the kind of messaging a company uses when it’s thinking about long-term reputation — not a company that’s cutting corners to stay alive a little longer.
By contrast, here’s what would actually signal trouble: no new models for several years, discontinued support pages, unanswered dealer inquiries, or credible news reports of financial distress. None of those things are currently present.
Long-term users also point to something meaningful. On LawnSite, one contractor mentioned being in business for 23 years and running Grasshopper mowers for 20 of them. That kind of loyalty doesn’t build around a brand that can’t hold itself together. On Reddit, users in threads about the brand have expressed strong satisfaction with long-term ownership, with some saying they’d never go back to another brand.
For anyone researching business durability across industries, The Business Marker covers how to evaluate company stability in niche manufacturing sectors — useful context if you’re doing this kind of research beyond just mowers.
How to Verify a Manufacturer’s Business Status Yourself
If you want to go beyond this article and check for yourself, here’s a practical approach.
- Check the official website. Look for current products, updated model pages, and an active dealer locator. A company that’s shutting down typically lets its web presence decay.
- Look for recent product activity. New model year content, dealer videos, and updated specs all indicate ongoing production.
- Search for business filings. Kansas state business registries can confirm whether Moridge Manufacturing is still an active entity.
- Check industry trade publications. If a major manufacturer closes a plant or files for bankruptcy, it shows up in trade press.
- Call a dealer directly. This is the fastest reality check. An authorized dealer can tell you current lead times, parts availability, and whether they’re still taking orders.
None of these steps require special access. They’re just the difference between searching a vague question and actually verifying an answer.
The Bottom Line
Grasshopper Mowers is not going out of business based on any available evidence. The company is active, producing a current lineup, maintaining its dealer network, and showing the kind of product investment that points to continued operations — not a wind-down.
The reason this question keeps coming up is straightforward: Grasshopper is a smaller, lower-profile brand. A dealer closing nearby, less online discussion than competitors, and old partnership history getting misread all fuel the perception that something is wrong. But perception and reality aren’t the same thing here.
If you own a Grasshopper and are worried about parts or support, the official website has what you need to find dealers and service options. If you’re considering buying one, the product line, brand history, and long-term user satisfaction all suggest it’s a reasonable choice for commercial and residential use.
The company appears to be doing what it has done for decades — building mowers in Kansas and letting the product speak for itself.
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