300 Feet or Bust!
By Nate Sawyer

 
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Pulling started in the early 70s From the Mid West and really didn't catch on till the 80s. It kinda went like this. A simple set of rules. Track with a dead weight sled. A couple of stock tractors. Judge and a crowd. It was mostly for fun and bragging rights. Until Farmer green said "I'll show you". That night he went home and fiddled with his fuel pump, changed fuel injectors, bigger air cleaner, and put on a straight stack . So Farmer Green beat Farmer Red and he started doing the same to his tractor. Today the rules are a lot stricter to what you can and can not do. Not all rules are the same for all pulling. There are regions, chapters, and clubs all different from each other. Pulling tractors isn't the only way to pull either.

From garden tractors, to pickups, to semis, to antique tractors, to horses. Pulling has evolved to be a great sport to watch and participate in. You can't say at all which is most popular becuase not all types of pulling are everywhere. Did you ever look at the schedule of a certain class? The pullers drive from 50 to hundreds of miles to a pull at a track. Most pulls today combine different types of classes to get a bigger crowd and to get more gate money. Some pullers are members of two regions and pull accross as many as four states.

Since Tractors is what we are about lets talk about what kind of tractors classes there are. All tractors have common general rules: must be 2wd, no duals, no chains, no front wheel assist, and must weigh under the class limit. And all must follow all safety rules. Others do apply but like I said before all reoings are different. There are many names for each class so i will name a few that cover most of the big ones. Farm stock, pro stock, limited, smoker series, unlimited, modified, single and mutliple unlimited engines.

As far as toy tractor pullers in 1/64th theres a small selection out there. The only place you would find them is www.applelandtoys.com . They do set up at the National in the flea market. They make any color, style, type, make you can think of. You can even custom order your own puller. Spec cast has started making some pullers. They are CaseIH Mxs by the Roberts pulling teamMaking your own puller can be easy and hard. Parts can be found at www.mooresfarmtoys.com. Making your own puller can be fun. You can make it your own puller. You can choose your favorite tractor company, favorite model, and paint scheme. Farm stock is easy to make becuase a stock tractor would be it. I chose to make an unlimited puller.

I wanted to make a Silver Bullet white tractor for the longest time. Spec Cast has made one but i want to show the engine in full detail. So i bought a V8 engine from a www.cdmodels.com dealer and made the rest from scratch. I used the base tractor of a White 6175. I had to make my own hood to fit over the engine. The best part was it only cost me about $20 to make and about 4hrs. No its not a Sliver Bullet but I think it would out pull it. Today the Silver Bullet is running on alcohol. Mine runs on diesel and not spark plugs. Depending on what you want for a puller it goes as far as you want it to. Thats 300 feet or bust!