McLellan Freight owner Alex McLellan said that when it came time to replace the family's old ride-on lawn mower, his son Isaiah suggested that it would be a good publicity tool to turn it into a miniature of his favourite rig - a Kenworth 904. So he and some mates set to, first taking the mowing deck off, then cutting the chassis in half and adding another metre in the middle.
Then an extra axle was added to the rear, and a Kenworth cab was added to the extended chassis, he said.
More than 650 hours of work later, the miniature rig has two articulated trailers hooked on behind and a top speed of about 10kmh, generated by an 8hp engine with a four-speed gearbox.
Mr McLellan said it certainly looked the part, but it was far from the 18-speed, 600hp engine of the truck it was based on.
Despite that, the miniature was a crowd pleaser when it was given its first public outing at the inaugural Otago Truck Show 'n' Shine event, held at the Taieri A&P Showgrounds on Saturday.
''It was quite incredible. People really gravitated towards it because it was so unusual.''
The best thing about the miniature rig was that the mowing deck could be reattached and it could be used for mowing lawns, Mr McLellan said.
''It would be the best-looking lawn mower in the country and you could carry an awful lot of grass clippings on the back.''
Details such as mirrors, fuel tanks and air cleaners still had to be attached, he said.
