One Man to Ride More Than 4,500 Miles Across the U.S. ... On His Lawnmower.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 1999--

Yard-Man Mow Across America(R) to Benefit the Keep America

Beautiful(R) Great American Cleanup(TM) and Attempt a New Guinness

World Record

This spring, whether you are in Midtown Manhattan, the Chicago Loop, Hollywood, Calif. or on a U.S. roadway somewhere in-between, chances are you won't miss the Yard-Man Mow Across America(R). Riding his All-New Yard-Man by MTD Tractor, 33-year-old Brad Hauter will attempt to set a new Guinness World Record and help benefit the Keep America Beautiful(R) Great American Cleanup(TM) with a voluntary donation of $100,000 from the Yard-Man Mow Across America.

At 11 a.m. on April 7, Hauter, a former minor league soccer player and current soccer coach at St. Mary's University in Minnesota, will kick-off the more than 4,500-mile ride from Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. Traveling at an average speed of 10 mph, Hauter and his four-member MTD crew will make their way up the east coast through Charlotte, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City. From the Big Apple, the cross-country ride heads west through Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City and Denver. The route will culminate in Los Angeles where Hauter will present a voluntary donation of more than $100,000 from Yard-Man Mow Across America which will benefit the Keep America Beautiful(R) Great American Cleanup(TM), this year's largest nationwide organized cleanup and beautification program.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Not many people can say they traveled across the U.S. on a lawnmower or helped to benefit a worthy cause such as the Keep America Beautiful(R) Great American Cleanup(TM)," said Hauter. "I can't think of a better way to see the countryside than on the new Yard-Man tractor. And at 10 mph, I don't think I will miss a thing."

Hauter will travel approximately 60 days and more than 4,500 miles in an attempt to break the current Guinness World Record of 3,500 miles for the longest distance traveled on a riding mower. According to Guinness World Record regulations, Hauter must ride seven days a week on the same new Yard-Man tractor until the journey is complete.

"We're confident that our new Yard-Man tractor is up to this challenge because it is designed to be as durable and as easy to drive as a car," said Robert T. Moll, vice president of marketing at MTD Products Inc. "What better way to launch this revolutionary tractor than to take it across the country to give Americans the opportunity to see that the new Yard-Man tractor is truly unlike any other."

Yard-Man Mow Across America Benefits the Great American Cleanup(TM)

Corporate donations and proceeds from T-shirt sales will help comprise the $100,000 voluntary donation the Yard-Man Mow Across America will make to the Keep America Beautiful(R) Great American Cleanup(TM). The public is invited to purchase a commemorative Yard-Man Mow Across America T-shirt for $10. To receive a T-shirt, send a check made payable to the Yard-Man Mow Across America, P.O. Box 951061, Cleveland, Ohio 44193. Yard-Man by MTD will voluntarily donate all proceeds of T-shirt sales to benefit the Keep America Beautiful(R) Great American Cleanup(TM). In addition, each individual who takes a photo of Brad Hauter during the Yard-Man Mow Across America and submits a $2 check to the same address will receive a Yard-Man Mow Across America T-shirt and an opportunity to have the photo posted on the Yard-Man Mow Across America Web site at www.yardman.com.

To help support the Great American Cleanup(TM), top radio stations along the route will host "The Yard-Man Breakfast Special" at local restaurants. Participants can meet the rider and enter raffles awarding the winner a new Yard-Man tractor. MTD Products Inc not only will sponsor the Yard-Man Mow Across America, but also make a significant donation to the Keep America Beautiful(R) Great American Cleanup(TM). In addition, engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton and Shell Gasoline have committed to making a donation to the Yard-Man Mow Across America which will benefit the Keep America Beautiful(R) Great American Cleanup(TM).

"This cross-country journey and awareness program goes above and beyond any outside initiative we have encountered in our 46 years as Keep America Beautiful(R)," said Gail Cunningham, vice president of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., and director of the Great American Cleanup(TM). "Keeping our country clean takes dedication from each one of us, and we are proud to have Yard-Man by MTD on our side, creating a fun and unique way to raise awareness for the Great American Cleanup(TM)."