The Sport

Anyone who witnesses a tractor pull for the first time will undoubtedly look their eyes at all those powerful and beautiful machines. But what is this all about the most powerful motorsport in the world?

100 Meter

In tractor pulling, participants must try to move a heavy tow truck as far as possible with their vehicle over a hundred meter long and twelve-meter wide clay track. This tow truck like tow truck san jose is equipped with wheels at the rear, while the weight at the front rests on a tow foot. The car is also equipped with a ballast box, in which a maximum of twelve tons of steel weights can be placed. At the start of the pull, almost all the weight rests on the wheels, but because the ballast box is moved forward by the wheels of the towing vehicle during the towing attempt, more and more weight will rest on the towing foot. The required pulling force thereby increases, until the combination finally comes to a standstill.

Whoever Goes Furthest Wins

The distance traveled is then measured and recorded using infrared equipment. The competitor who travels the longest distance is the winner. It often happens that several participants travel the entire track length of one hundred meters with the tow truck. In technical terms, this is called a ‘full pull’. In that case, the tow truck is weighted and these participants have to decide in a `pull-off` who is the strongest. The so-called ‘floating finish’ is often used. In addition, the participant must continue to accelerate until the combination comes to a standstill, even if it passes a hundred meters. The purpose of this is to avoid a second pull-off. Many machines have little or no cooling capacity on board, so a third pull might be too much.

Speed ​​is Everything

Because the tow truck initially requires little pulling power, the participant must try to achieve the greatest possible speed in the first half of the track. The greater the speed, the more meters can still be driven after the tow truck has reached its maximum braking power. All the energy that has been put into the speed of the tons of heavy tow truck comes out again. In order to achieve that great speed, a tractor must first of all have a lot of power. Subsequently, that power has to be converted into actual tractive power and the driver is clearly identified. He must ensure that the tires have the correct pressure, he must choose the right gear and he must position the ballast weights in such a way that his tractor has an optimal weight distribution. All of these factors vary from job to job. And ultimately, the driver must also ensure that he accelerates at the right time and must keep the tractor within the white chalk lines with the steering wheel and brake pedals. Failure to do so will inevitably lead to disqualification.