People made a sport out of pulling particular weights using the garden or the lawn tractors. In these competitions, a sled or various other mechanical weights are tied to the back of the tractor and need to be pulled along the competition track, which usually is about 90 meters long and has a dirt or clay surface. The winner is considered the person who pulls the weight longest, not fastest. The tricky part is when the weights in the sled have their weights transferred to the front of the sled, also called a skid pan, thus increasing the friction power and making it harder and harder to be pulled, until, eventually, the tractor stops, unable to continue the dragging.
In the beginning, there was a rule in this tractor pulling sport which stated that any competing tractor needs not to go over a specific speed limit, but this has changed in time, as also the technology evolved and nowadays tractors can reach speeds of even two hundred kilometers per hour. Also different form the old days are the sleds, which now are a lot heavier due to tractors’ technology allowing them to pull weights up to thirty thousand kilos.
Overview of Garden and Lawn Tractors Pulling
This sport is suitable for most ages, as it helps developing the character, competition spirit in a child and good sportsmanship, when it is played fairly. It usually involves no risk for the children, but who need supervision anyway.
Practicing this sport allows competitors, both adults and children, to learn more about the mechanical parts of the tractors and the insides of the engines, which will later allow them to modify their machines to obtain better results in the pulling competition. For children this is not only a competition specific knowledge, but also is in some way a science and mechanics lesson, teaching them the role of some components, but also when and how some tools can be used effectively.
While taking the form of a rough competition, this is an excellent opportunity for younger participants to learn from the older. Thanks to the challenge it creates, this sport helps individuals to improve their skills.
For this sport to evolve properly and to allow the participants to improve their machines and techniques, records of all sorts of variables and data are kept, for analysis when needed. Properties of the track, parameters or potential tune-ups of the tractors that are engaged in the competition help people understand or improve their progress. Knowing what type of tires was used on a certain type of track surface will be of great help for a participant who will want to use the same type on another similar track.
This sport is fun and a good way for entire families to travel to different places in order to take part in competitions. This allows every participant to spend some time not exclusively competing, but also with their families and friends. All it takes is a small tractor and a way to carry it to competitions.
