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Wednesday, August 24, 2022
A7
Tractors pull generations together
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
VANCOUVER, Washington —
Tractor pulling is the rare motorsport
whose competitors needn’t worry
about breaking the speed limit, even
in a school zone.
But to complain about the maxi-
mum speed of 12 mph would be to
miss the point.
When you’re pulling thousands of
pounds across a dirt track, “12 mph
does not sound fast, but it takes an
enormous amount of horsepower to
go that fast,” said Zack Peterson, sec-
retary of the Oregon Tractor Pullers
nonprofi t.
Though success at tractor pulling
is measured by distance and weight,
it’d be an oversimplifi cation to say
the contest is only about raw power.
Harnessing that power takes
knowledge that’s often passed from
generation to generation, like a fam-
ily heirloom.
Many tractor pullers teach their
children mechanical skills they them-
selves acquired while working along-
side a parent.
“The most important thing is
they’re preserving a part of our agri-
cultural heritage,” said Paul Pfnister
of Keizer, Ore., who offi ciates at the
events. “It’s not just an act of preser-
vation, it’s an act of training the next
generation.”
Connection to ag
Not everyone who enjoys tractor
pulling is a farmer, but fans tend to
feel a connection to agriculture that’s
strengthened by the activity.
“It’s usually someone from a farm
background or who’s been exposed to
agriculture,” Peterson said.
Growers remain well represented
at tractor pulls, which originated as
a way to compare new machines, he
said.
Tractors began greatly increasing
in power during the mid-20th cen-
tury, sparking curiosity about their
capabilities and rivalries among their
admirers, he said. Competitive pulling
became more formalized in the 1960s
and 1970s in the Midwest, where the
motorsport continues to enjoy the
greatest popularity.
In the Northwest, the Sublimity
Harvest Festival was among the ear-
liest organized competitions when it
started nearly 50 years ago. The festi-
val, which is Sept. 9-11 this year, now
includes monster trucks, truck pulls,
ATV pulls and other activities, but it
originated as solely a contest between
farmers.
“The original event was the tractor
pull,” Peterson said.
Nowadays, stock tractors normally
used for fi eld work continue to partic-
ipate in contests, though they’re in a
separate category from those modifi ed
for peak pulling performance.
UPCOMING TRACTOR PULLS
• Tractor pulling is predominantly a summertime spectacle that can often
be enjoyed at county fairs and other community gatherings. The Oregon
Tractor Pullers nonprofi t also typically organizes several events throughout
the season.
The group’s Fall Barbecue Pull is scheduled for Aug. 27 at BiZi Farms near
Vancouver, Wash. Attendance for spectators is free but competitors are
charged entree fees that vary for members and non-members. For more
information about the organization’s rules, costs, events and pull results, visit
www.oregontractorpullers.org.
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
A competitor pulls a sled at a tractor pull competition at BiZi Farms north of
Vancouver, Wash.
On-farm events
Bill Zimmerman, president of Ore-
gon Tractor Pullers, regularly hosts
events at his fruit and vegetable opera-
tion north of Vancouver, Wash.
“I don’t get away for vacation
much, so this is my enjoyable thing to
do,” he said.
For him, it’s more interesting to fi nd
out what can be accomplished by ordi-
nary machines than by 300-plus-horse-
power “hot rod tractors” especially
built for the task.
“I’m more into it from the point of
view of how it came from the factory,
and how did it perform,” Zimmerman
said.
Having worked at a tractor deal-
ership in the past, he’s nonetheless
impressed with how far people take the
alterations.
“They have tractors putting out
horsepower that we never dreamed of
with those engines,” he said.
Modifi ed tractors are solely
intended for competition and no longer
have much utility for regular farming,
said Joe Shaver, the organization’s vice
president. They’d overheat or break
down with continuous use.
“A car that’s good on the drag strip,
you don’t want to drive to work every
day,” Shaver said. “It’s the same with
tractors.”
Replacing steel parts with those
made of aluminum reduces overall
weight and adding special engine com-
ponents increases horsepower.
Such changes can make the trac-
tor more prone to stress damage, par-
ticularly when it’s run hard during an
event.
Boring the cylinders of an engine
block to accommodate larger pistons,
for example, comes with trade-off s,
Peterson said.
“To make it fi t, you’re sacrifi cing
some of the structural integrity and the
cooling,” he said.
Winning combination
Horsepower alone won’t necessar-
ily guarantee a victory, though.
To achieve optimal traction, the
tractor’s weight must be properly bal-
anced, and the operator must hit the
right gear at the right speed.
“You want the front wheels barely
off the ground” while pulling, Peterson
said. “That’s the perfect weight bal-
ance. You’re maximizing downward
force at the rear end of the tractor.”
The tire pressure must be adjusted
to fi t the track, which in turn is aff ected
by the weather, soil type and site main-
tenance. Accounting for those factors
can be more art than science.
“The conditions are never the same
from day to day and pull to pull,” he
said.
Finding specialized parts for modi-
fi ed tractors can be diffi cult and expen-
sive, Shaver said. If demand isn’t
big enough to warrant mass produc-
tion, they may have to be individually
machined.
“It’s not like you’re just going to go
to the auto parts store and pick this up,”
he said.
Restored tractors
In some cases, tractors have
been lovingly restored for top dol-
lar by collectors who wouldn’t dream
of an extreme mechanical over-
haul. They usually compete against
other stock tractors at weights and
speeds that won’t risk undue wear and
tear.
“Hey, I can take it out and play with
it,” Shaver said.
“It’s something to do with your old
tractor,” Peterson said.
A serious contender looking to
compete at the highest weight and
speed, on the other hand, may spend
$50,000 on a tractor.
Owners typically reduce expenses
by modifying the machines them-
selves as much as possible, since pay-
ing someone else for labor “gets really
expensive,” he said.
Special sleds
The weighted sleds that attach to
tractors are also custom-built, since
they’re designed to increase friction
with the ground as they’re pulled.
As a sled is pulled down the track,
heavy-duty chains draw the weight box
closer to the front. With each passing
foot, the sled’s front pan presses harder
against the ground, eventually forcing
the tractor to stop.
• Another opportunity to compete or watch tractor pulling will be at the
Sublimity Harvest Festival, which is scheduled for Sept. 9-11 in Sublimity,
Ore. More information about the festival can be found online at www.sub-
limityharvestfest.com or by calling 503-769-3579.
Mark Valentine, a retired farmer
who lives in Royal City, Wash., built
two sleds to accommodate tractor pull-
ers in the area.
“The demand for a sled was tre-
mendous and there was no one to build
it,” he said.
Valentine saved money by doing
the work himself and hunting for used
parts at scrapyards, but the price of
some components was still steep.
For his most recent project, he
spent $3,000 on the chain that pulls
the weight box, which he considers an
investment in reliability.
“The sled can’t break down. The
tractors can,” he said. “If you bring a
sled and break down at the beginning,
everybody’s looking at you like, Why
did you even come?”
Sled costs are a major consideration
for tractor pull organizers. A suffi cient
number of competitors must pay “hook
fees” to use the sled, or the event won’t
cover its rental fee.
The Oregon Tractor Pullers group
bought its own sled fi ve years ago to
ensure the organization’s fi nancial
stability.
Raising money
Rather than focusing on remaining
solvent, the nonprofi t can now raise
money for other causes, such as help-
ing the people who lost their homes in
the 2020 Labor Day fi res.
“What we make at the pulls is
pretty much pure profi t,” he said.
Still, most tractor pulls aren’t
big-budget competitions whose top
performers earn substantial cash
prizes. Participants must content
themselves with occasional trophies
and ribbons instead.
“It is mostly bragging rights,”
Peterson said. “This is not a sport
where you’re going to make
money, that’s for sure.”
Instead, the hobby naturally
attracts people who know how to
turn a wrench.
The vast majority are mechan-
ically inclined, often having
worked on farm equipment, auto-
mobiles and motorcycles since
childhood, Peterson said.
“Knowing what bolts to what is
a huge advantage,” he said.
Even those who aren’t farmers
tend to have jobs related to build-
ing or operating machinery.
For example, Shaver is a
machinist who specializes in medi-
cal implants, such as the plates and
pins used to repair bone fractures.
Peterson has a background in
mechanical engineering and runs a
company that makes distance-mea-
suring sensors.
Such expertise can prove useful
in tractor pulling.
“People ask how I do so well
and I tell them it’s calculated suc-
cess,” he said.
Technical
knowhow
may
give him a leg up, but Peterson
isn’t secretive about his methods
and theories. He’s written three
self-published books about differ-
ent aspects of tractor pulling.
Infectious pastime
Tractor pullers eagerly pro-
mote their passion for the hobby,
which can prove infectious. As
enthusiasts involve their children
and other relatives, the number of
tractors in the family commonly
multiplies.
“If you’ve got one, you might
as well have a dozen,” Shaver said.
Steve Gleason and his 17-year-
old daughter, Cora, have been par-
ticipating in tractor pulls for over
a decade. They compete with gar-
den tractors as well as a 1952 John
Deere Model A, which they rebuilt
together.
“We completely tore it apart,”
she said.
Tinkering with machinery is
a family tradition that Gleason’s
proud to share with his daugh-
ter. It’s how he acquired his own
mechanical knowledge.
“Most of it I learned from my
dad growing up,” he said. “Grow-
ing up, we did not have anything
he did not fix.”
Cora currently works as a har-
vester and farm hand for a Wil-
lamette Valley berry grower and
plans to pursue agriculture as a
long-term career.
Youth pheasant hunts planned in September
EO Media Group
SALEM — Youth hunt-
ers, age 17 and under, can
sign up now for the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wild-
life’s free pheasant hunts hap-
pening around the state start-
ing in September, with an
additional few hunt dates in
October.
ODFW and partners stock
pheasants at these special
hunts that give youth a head
start on regular pheasant sea-
sons, which don’t begin until
October.
There are multiple dates and
hunt locations to choose from
and some events have multiple
hunt times to choose from. Reg-
ister by logging in to the youth’s
account at MyODFW’s Licens-
ing page. Then go to Purchase
from the Catalog and look under
the Category/ Class/Workshop /
Outdoor Skills. Hunts are listed
alphabetically by city name.
Registration is only online, and
it is not available at license sale
agents.
These events are open only
to youth who have passed
hunter education. Volunteers
bring their trained hunting
dogs to some events. Some
events also host a shooting
skills session before the hunt.
The hunts are free, though
participants need a valid hunt-
ing license ($10 for youth 12
and older, free for age 11 and
under) to hunt. Youth hunters
age 12-17 also need an upland
game bird validation ($4). Pur-
chase before the event, online
or at a license sales agent.
Licenses and validations will
not be sold at the events.
Some areas will host the
event both Saturday and Sun-
day. Youth who register for
one day are welcome to hunt
stand by on the other day.
“Youth pheasant hunts
are a great chance for young
hunters to fi nd early success
and put the lessons learned in
hunter education to work in
the fi eld,” said Jered Good-
win, ODFW hunter education
coordinator.
See page 26-27 of the Ore-
gon Game Bird Regulations
for more information, or see
myodfw.com/workshops-and-
events for the local contact for
each hunt. For help signing up,
contact Myrna Britton at 503-
947-6028 or by email at Myr-
na.B.Britton@odfw.oregon.gov
Event dates
• La Grande, Ladd Marsh
Wildlife Area, Sept. 17 and
Sept. 18. No advance regis-
tration required.
• John Day Valley, Sept.
17 and Sept. 18.
• Irrigon Wildlife Area
(between Irrigon and Uma-
tilla), Sept. 24 and Sept. 25.
Sign up for morning or eve-
ning hunt.
• Central Point, Denman
Wildlife Area, Sept. 17 and
Sept. 18.
• Coquille, Coquille Val-
ley Wildlife Area, Sept. 24
and 25.
• Corvallis (near Camp
Adair), EE Wilson Wildlife
Area, Sept. 24 and Sept. 25.
• Eugene, Fern Ridge
Wildlife Area, Sept. 10 and
Sept. 11. Advance registra-
tion not required.
• Klamath Falls, Klamath
Wildlife Area, Sept. 17 and
Sept. 18. Additional hunt on
Oct. 22 in Miller Island Unit
(hunting is on a fi rst come
basis for the Oct. 22 hunt).
No registration required.
• Madras, private lands,
Sept. 17 and Sept. 18. Sign up
for one of several three-hour
hunting shifts.
• Portland, Sauvie Island
Wildlife Area, Sept. 17 and
Sept. 18.
• Tygh Valley/The Dalles,
White River Wildlife Area,
Sept. 24 and Sept. 25.
The Observer, File
Youth hunters
will have the
chance to hunt
pheasants in
the John Day
Valley and Ladd
Marsh.
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