Tractor pulling
Encyclopedia
Truck and Tractor pulling, also known as power pulling, is a motorsport competition, popular in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(especially in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
), Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Brazil, which requires modified tractors to pull a heavy sledge (sled) along a 35ft. wide and length of 100 metre or 300ft+ track, with the winner being the tractor that pulls the sledge farthest. The sport is known as the worlds most powerful motorsport, due to the multi engined modified tractor pullers.
All tractors, in their respective classes, pull a set weight in the sledge. When a tractor gets to the end of the 100 metre (300 feet) track this is known as a “full pull”. When more than one tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
completes the course, more weight is added to the sledge, and those competitors that went past 300 feet will have a pull-off, the winner is the one who can pull the sledge the farthest.
The sledge is known as a weight transfer sledge. This means that as it is pulled down the track, the weight is transferred (linked with gears to the sledge’s wheels) from over the rear axles and towards the front of the sledge. In front of the rear wheels, there is a ‘pan’. This is essentially a metal plate and as the weight moves over this the resistance builds. The further the tractor pulls the sledge, the harder it gets.
The most powerful tractors, such as those in the 4.5 modified class in Europe, can produce over 10,000 bhp.
Although there are many tractor pulling organizations, not all run to the recommended safety rules, which can sometimes put the competitor or spectator at risk. The safest of events to watch being those sanctioned by the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA). NTPA is a division of World Pulling International, Inc. or the European Tractor Pulling Committee.
History in the USA
It is said that around the 1860s when farming machineMachine
A machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...
s were pulled by horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
, farmers would boast about the strength of their horses. They would claim that their horse could tow large loads, such as a fully loaded hay cart
Cart
A cart is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people...
or wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
. Farmers would challenge one another to contests to prove who had the strongest horse. A barn door was removed and laid flat on the ground, and the horse was then hitched to it, the farmer would then urge the horse to drag the barn door along the ground. One by one, people jumped on the door until the horse could no longer drag it; the horse pulling the most people the greatest distance was judged the strongest. This event, called horse pulling
Horse pulling
Horse pulling is a draft horse competition where horses in harness, usually one or two animals, pull a stone-boat or weighted sled and the winner is the team or animal that can pull the most weight for a short distance....
, is still carried out today with specially bred horses trained to have high strength and low stamina, rather than low strength and high stamina which is normally the case with racing horses. Instead of people, fixed weights on sleds are dragged as far as possible. While it is said that the term horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
is derived from this event, in reality the term was coined by James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
.
It wasn't until 1929 that motorized vehicles were put to use in the first events at Vaughansville, Missouri and Bowling Green, Ohio
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bowling Green is the county seat of Wood County in the U.S. state of Ohio. At the time of the 2010 census, the population of Bowling Green was 30,028. It is part of the Toledo, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bowling Green is the home of Bowling Green State University...
, the latter being where the current national championships are held. Although the sport was recognized then, it did not really become popular until the 50s and 60s. It was also realized, at that time, there were no uniform set of rules. The rules varied from state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
to state, county to county, and competitors never knew what standards to follow. This made the sport difficult for new entrants.
In 1969, representatives from eight states congregated to create a uniform book of rules to give the sport the much needed structure, and created the National Tractor Pullers Association
National Tractor Pullers Association
The National Tractor Pullers Association is a national tractor pulling sanctioning body in the United States. It was born of a need to unify the rules and classes in the sport of truck and tractor pulling.-History:...
(NTPA). The NTPA's early years were events that used standard farm vehicles, with the motto "Pull on Sunday, plow on Monday". Pulling remained basically the same through the 70s, with only stock and modified tractors. Stock tractors were commercially available tractors produced by manufacturers, and modified tractors were the basic tractor chassis with another non-tractor engine mounted on it.
Tractors remained single engine until two Ohio brothers, Carl and Paul Bosse, introduced the crossbox which could allow multiple engines to be attached to a single driveshaft
Driveshaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, propeller shaft, or Cardan shaft is a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation, usually used to connect other components of a drive train that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement...
. Other innovators during this period included Bruce Hutcherson, with his triple Rodeck engine powered "Makin Bacon Special", Dave and Ralph Banter and their Mr Chevy tractors and the "Mission Impossible" tractors of Tim Engler, which at one point had up to seven blown
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
alcohol
Methanol fuel
Methanol is an alternative fuel for internal combustion and other engines, either in combination with gasoline or directly . It is used in racing cars and in China...
engines on board.
Subsequently, modified tractors with four engines were common, while stock tractors tried to catch up by adding multiple large turbochargers, along with intercoolers
Intercooler
An intercooler , or charge air cooler, is an air-to-air or air-to-liquid heat exchange device used on turbocharged and supercharged internal combustion engines to improve their volumetric efficiency by increasing intake air charge density through nearly isobaric cooling, which removes...
, but both retained the appearance of a tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
. Soon tractors became single use machines that were not used on the farm, making the "Pull on Sunday, plow on Monday" motto obsolete.
Throughout the 70s and 80s the modified division continued to thrill crowds by adding more engines, and soon the tractors lost their tractor appearance and turned into high 'spec' dragster
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
s. The limit was reached in 1988 when a tractor with seven engines was built. As well as piston engines, jet engines appeared in 1974, with Gardner Stones "General" Tractor a four jet engined unit hitting the hook in 1989.
The growing popularity of the sport caused the creation of a new four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
division
Division (sport)
In sports, a division is a group of teams who compete against each other for a championship.-League system:In sports using a league system , a division consists a group of teams who play a sport at a similar competitive level...
in 1976, which captured a large fan base. The engine sizes in these vehicles continued to increase, from 450 cubic inches/7.3 liters up to 700/11.5 and probably would have continued, but the NTPA limited it to 650/10.6 naturally aspirated and no blown engine
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
in 1989. Today the 4-wheel drive division is one of the most popular with the success of trucks like the Holman Brothers "4-Play" Chevy and Bob Boden's "Studley Studebaker".
TWO WHEEL DRIVE (TWD) TRUCK CLASS
Blown engines
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
In the 1986 new division was formed of two-wheel drive
Two-wheel drive
Two wheel drive or 2WD describes vehicles with a drivetrain that allows two wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously.-Four wheeled vehicles:...
s (TWD)or "funny cars" as the PPL call them. Maximum weight of a TWD pulling truck is to be 6,200 pounds. TWD pulling vehicle maximum length is to be no more than 15 feet from the centerline of the rear axle to forward most portion of the vehicle, including weight racks & tow hook. A 10 inch over-length allowance for cosmetic fiberglass is the only exception. Maximum width of TWD vehicle to be 8 feet. Any wheelbase is permitted.The TWD class is limited to a single automotive-type engine. No diesel engines are allowed in the TWD class. Maximum of eight (8) cylinders. All levels of TWD NTPA competition, a limit of 575 cubic inch and two valves per cyliner. Tubular steel frames are allowed. Maximum tire size for the TWD class is 18.4 x 16.1 with a maximum of 143 inch circumference when mounted on an 18 inch wide rim and inflated to 28 psi. The ground patch is not to exceed 19 inches on original tread.
Three other divisions were created. The super stock, pro-stock and the mini-modified, which is a garden lawn mower
Lawn mower
A lawn mower is a machine that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a lawn at an even length.Lawn mowers employing a blade that rotates about a vertical axis are known as rotary mowers, while those employing a blade assembly that rotates about a horizontal axis are known as cylinder or reel...
mounted with a supercharged V8. Super Stock Open class uses primarily methanol fuel (some are diesel versions). The Super Stock Open machines can generate over 5,000 horsepower. Super Stock tractors may use up to 4 turbochargers in 3 stages.
Pro Stock Tractors are limited to one turbocharger and diesel fuel is the only allowable source for power, in keeping with the 'spirit' of the original tractors. Their engines reach the 2000 horsepower region
History in Australia
The first Australian Tractor Pull was held at the Elmore Field Days (Victoria) in 1976. The following year saw Tractor Pulling begin in the Victorian rural town of Quambatook. It has developed over the years into a highly competitive and technical sport, where the difference between first and last place may be as small as one or two metres. Often the top tractors are separated by mere centimetres.The Australian Tractor Pullers Association (ATPA) is a non-profit organisation that governs Tractor Pulling in Australia. Our events (Tractor Pulls) are held in conjunction with a promoter. This is often a local school, sporting, service or community club (for example; Apex, Rotary, Lions, Netball, Cricket, Football) who use the event as a fundraiser. Tractor Pulls are held in locations throughout Australia, predominantly in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. In the west the Western Australian Tractor Pullers Association (WATPA) runs events and is affiliated with the ATPA.
The ATPA is focused on actively promoting this spectacular sport and working with communities to not only establish a unique annual event, but more importantly to assist communities financially through the influx of spectators, sponsors and promotion.
The tractors are divided into classes and comply with either ‘Limited’ or ‘Open’ rules. The classes are Open Modified, Super Modified, Limited Modified, Open Mini Modified, Mini Modified, Pro Stock (diesel) and Two Wheel Drive Trucks. The distinction between classes is determined by the overall maximum weight, engine modifications, fuels and physical size.
Competition is open to both women and men, the only restriction being that competitors must at least hold a current Learner Driver’s Permit. It sometimes comes down to members of the same family competing for the trophies.
The Junior Modified Pulling Association conducts an ‘introductory’ class for 8 to 16 year olds to develop driving, mechanical and competitive skills. The Modified Mowers pull their own smaller version of the big sled.
The Sled
In the early days two main techniques were used. Either a dead weight of fixed mass was dragged, or the step-on method, where people stood at fixed positions and stepped aboard as the sled passed. Another rule which has now been dropped was that a speed limit should be observed because of injuries resulting from the increased speed at which they boarded. Today's tractors can achieve theoretical speeds over 125 mph.Today's sleds use a complex system of gears to move weights up to 65,000 pounds/29,000 kilograms. Upon starting, all the weights are over the sled's rear axles, to give an effective weight of the sled plus zero. As the tractor travels the course, the weights are pushed forward of the sled's axles, pushing the front of the sled into the ground, synthetically creating a gain in weight until the tractor is no longer able to overcome the force of friction
Friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:...
.
Radio Control (R/C) Pulling
Radio ControlRadio control
Radio control is the use of radio signals to remotely control a device. The term is used frequently to refer to the control of model vehicles from a hand-held radio transmitter...
truck and tractor pulling has been around since the late 1980s. It was started by a group of people interested in R/C pulling, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The main R/C pulling group is the NR/CTPA. NR/CTPA also has many, smaller, affiliated clubs, such as County Line R/C Puller's Club, club number one in the NR/CTPA.
Engines
Apart from modified standard Diesel tractors, a variety of high power engines are used in tractor pulling, which started in the late 1970s. In the early years, mainly single, double or multiple US-made big block dragster engines were used, but nowadays, a lot of parts from discarded military machinery are in use, like Klimov TV3-117Klimov TV3-117
|-See also:-References:* Taylor, Michael J. H. Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000. London:Brassey's, 1999. ISBN 1 85753 245 7.-External links:*...
(Isotov) turboshaft
Turboshaft
A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine which is optimized to produce free turbine shaft power, rather than jet thrust...
s from Russian helicopters, Soviet Zvezda M503 torpedo boat engines, Continental AV1790
Continental AV1790
The Continental AV1790 was an American tank engine. Produced by Continental Motors, the AV1790 was used in a variety of limited production or pilot heavy tanks, including the T30, T34 , T43 , T57, and T58, as well as the production M103 tank and the M51 recovery vehicle...
tank engines, or World-War-2-era aircraft piston engines in V12-shape (e.g. Rolls-Royce Griffon
Rolls-Royce Griffon
The Rolls-Royce Griffon is a British 37-litre capacity, 60-degree V-12, liquid-cooled aero engine designed and built by Rolls-Royce Limited...
) or as radial engine
Radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel...
s (e.g. Curtiss-Wright R-3350
Wright R-3350
The Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone was one of the most powerful radial aircraft engines produced in the United States. It was a twin row, supercharged, air-cooled, radial engine with 18 cylinders. Power ranged from 2,200 to over 3,700 hp , depending on the model...
). In recent years a number of agricultural engines have been converted to run on methanol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
with multi stage turbocharging.
Organizations
There are many different organizations with different rules in tractor pulling.Some include:
- USA:
- NTPA - National Tractor Pullers AssociationNational Tractor Pullers AssociationThe National Tractor Pullers Association is a national tractor pulling sanctioning body in the United States. It was born of a need to unify the rules and classes in the sport of truck and tractor pulling.-History:...
- PPL - LUCAS OIL Pro Pulling League
- ITPA - Illinois Tractor Pulling AssociationIllinois Tractor Pulling AssociationThe Illinois Tractor Pulling Association is a motorsports governing body that sanctions truck and tractor pulling events throughout the midwest.-History:...
- MSPA - Mid-South Pullers Association
- ESP - Empire State PullersEmpire State PullersEmpire State Pullers, known to many of its pullers as ESP, is a truck and tractor pulling sanctioning body. It conducts pulls at circuits throughout New York State. ESP began sanctioning events in the Lucas Oil owned Pro Pulling League in 2007.-Classes:...
- WNYPFP - Western New York Pro Farm Pullers
- NBP - Nebraska Bush Pullers
- OSTPA - Ohio State Tractor Pullers Association
- SPA - Southern Pullers Association
- NTPA - National Tractor Pullers Association
- Europe:
- DTP - Danish Tractor Pulling
- ETPC - European Tractor Pulling Committee
- NTTO - Netherlands Truck- and Tractorpulling Organisation
- DTTO - German Tractorpulling Organisation
- TPI - Tracteur Pulling Italia
- FTPA - Finnish Tractor Pulling Association
- BKTV - Belgian Power Tractor Organisation
- FTPF - Fédération française de tracteur pulling
- RTPA - Tractor Pulling Russia
- UK:
- Australia:
- ATPA - Australian Tractor Pullers Association Inc.
- MTPA - Mini Tractor Pullers Association Inc.
- QTPA - Quambatook Tractor Pullers Association Inc.
- WATPA - West Australian Tractor Pull Association
- JMPA - Junior Modified Pulling Association
- Other:
- NR/CTPA - National Radio Control Truck Pulling Association
- ABTT - Associação Brasileira de Trekker Trek / Brazilian Tractor Pulling Association
- NSPA - National Sled Pulling Association
- SPA - Southern Pullers Association
- BTPA - Badger Truck Pullers Association
External links
- Tractor & Truck Pulling at Its Best USA
- National Tractor Pulling Championships (USA)
- Central Ontario Tractor Pullers' Association
- National Tractor Pullers Association
- New York State Tractor Pullers Association
- Hayes Super Stock Pulling
- USA Pulling, formerly American Tractor Pulling Association
- Online Tractor Pulling Magazine
- Tractor pull video collection
- Northwest Missouri Tractor Puller's Association
- IAMO (Iowa Missouri) Tractor Pullers Association
- French tractor pulling (FRA)
- NR/CTPA (USA)
- New York Tractor Pulling Circuit (NY, USA)
- National Sled Pulling Association (CO, USA)
- Lions Super Pull of the South (Chapel Hill, TennesseeChapel Hill, TennesseeChapel Hill is a town in the northeastern part of Marshall County, Tennessee, United States. The town was named after Chapel Hill, North Carolina by settlers from that area...
, USA) - Badger Truck Pullers Association (WI, USA)
- Dutch Tractor & Truck Pulling organisation NL
- RTPC, Russian Tractor Pulling Committee RUS