I think you will find Husqvarna was originally a gunsmith and like a lot of others gunsmiths had to find something else to do during the rare occasions when the Europeans were not trying to kill each other.
Like a lot of other gun makers they diversified into fashionable enterprises that could be made with the gun making equipment they owned.
Not much different to the BSA group or Royal Enfield except it was managed by competent people not old school tie idiots.
Husqvarna started to make mowers when they acquired a company that made commercial reel mowers as a side line.
Electrolux bought Husqvarna and several other companies including Jonsored who made chain saws and riding mowers.
In the USA Husqvarna imported European made mowers & chainsaws as well as having AYP , Noma & Murray manufacture Husqvarna branded riding mowers.
because of the effects of the EEC, Electrolux sold off Husqvarna as a separate entity and because of different corperate laws in Europe , Electrolux could not sell Husqvarna off pennyless as happens in the UK, USA & Australia.
Because Europen business know the benefits of vertical intergration Husqvarna started buying up their supply chain ( as did Stihl ) so they bought AYP as Noma had already gone bust & been picked up by Murray
AYP was and still is a contract manufacturer of out door products for other companies similar to what Murrray & Noma were and to a lesser extent MTD is today.
They picked up McCulloch who made chain saws and got other outdoor products made for them some time latter when McCulloch overextended themselves and went broke .
Because some Husqvarnas were made by AYP and some Craftsmans were also made by AYP using the same machines and similar tooling some Craftsmans and some Husqvarnas look very similar.
As for Fergies, they were incrediably popular down here and have a very large following , a single marque collectors club and even a single model , the 20Hp TE, favoured by the soldiers allotment farmers who all went broke because you can not make a living form 10 acres west of the divide down here as much as the Ex-pom parliamentarians decided we could, just like merry old England.