Sunday, June 18, 2006
Tractor Pulls
I don't know if you've ever been to a tractor pull. It's been a long time since I went to one. I used to go very regularly in the mid-70s in the DelMarVa pennisula. That's Delaware/Maryland/Virginia. Back then they were in some farmer's field and rarely was there bleachers or much of any support. I think trucks had just started pulling - mostly stock 4X4s - and would often leave parts like bumpers and hitches attached to the transfer sled. I think I went one more time in the late 70s after I'd been transferred to Kansas - I think it was the Kansas state fair.
I went to one today in Midland, Michigan. If you haven't been to one, it's pretty impressive. They aren't your grandad's tractor, well, in some cases I guess they could be. One of the winners of today's pull was 62 and another was 72. But look at the picture here. That's the sixy-year-old's wheels - with four, count 'em, four hemis sitting on the front pushing about 1600HP -- each! That's over 6000 horses to plow the back forty with. Actually the super-stock is probably more impressive in their own way. They look just a tractor out of the field except for the big tires. But once they start winding up the turbo - look out. These things are pushing 2000HP for a stock tractor chassis and rear end.
If you're interested, check out the National Tractor Pullers Association. I've also stuck a 3MB video file here that I took with a tiny little digital camera at today's meet. Too bad it doesn't have sound.
