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My First Tractor Pull

I thought a tractor pull was like a tug of war with two tractors pulling apart with a chain holding them.  But it's a tractor pulling a heavy sled.  The winner is the tractor that pulls the sled the farthest down the track.



Here's a description from Wikipedia:

Truck and Tractor pulling, also known as power pulling, is a motorsport competition, popular in United States, Europe (especially in the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany), Australia and Brazil, and New Zealand which requires modified tractors to pull a heavy sled along a 35 foot wide, 330 foot long track, with the winner being the tractor that pulls the sled the farthest. The sport is known as the world's most powerful motorsport, due to the multi-engined modified tractor pullers.

All tractors in their respective classes pull a set weight in the sled. When a tractor gets to the end of the 100 metre track, this is known as a "full pull". When more than one tractor completes the course, more weight is added to the sled, and those competitors that moved past 300 feet will compete in a pull-off; the winner is the one who can pull the sled the farthest.

The sled is known as a weight transfer sled. This means that as it is pulled down the track, the weight is transferred (linked with gears to the sled’s wheels) from over the rear axles and towards the front of the sled. 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 farther the tractor pulls the sled, the more difficult it gets.

The most powerful tractors, such as those in the 4.5 modified class in Europe, can produce over 10,000 horsepower. 

This is the sled they have to pull.


Something went wrong, maybe the wheel.

This tractor was driven by a woman with a pink helmet.

Finally a short video:

I'm not sure if I'll go again but at least I've seen something new.


Comments

  1. Definitely a unique experience!

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  2. They have then around here. I've been to a few.

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  3. Aha, I never knew that the load weight shifted and became more difficult to pull as they went along. And I didn't know this was popular in the Netherlands. Thanks for adding to my knowledge!

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  4. Trying new things is what keeps life interesting. You may not like it or you may. Either way you have had an adventure.

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  5. I've never been to a tractor pull either! They don't do that type of thing around here, but it must have been fun to experience!

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  6. An exciting event to watch, even more once you get to know the competitors.

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  7. These events are common around us, but I have never been a fan. Farmers often do serious damage to their production tractors doing this. The modified class is a tractor only used for pulling useless for anything else.

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  8. Never seen anything like this before.
    Quite an exciting event.

    All the best Jan

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  9. Saw in new sometimes John!

    Sounds like fun though i tried but may due to slow net couldn't see the video which i really wanted to

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  10. must be funny and interessant to see

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  11. I thought a tractor pull was like a tug of war with two tractors pulling apart with a chain holding them. But it's a tractor pulling a heavy sled.
    ตารางคะแนน

    ReplyDelete

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