Some technical notes on the fine art of tractor pulling
Hello from Brisbane.
I guess you don't go to an event without learnin' sumpthin'..... so, here's some technical stuff.
The main draw card for Coolatai - beyond hunting for the elusive New England neenish tart and befriending the pub cat - was the fine sport of tractor pulling. In this case the sub-category of vintage tractor pulling.
Now tractor pulling, or power pulling as it is also known, is a recognised motorsport internationally - and when the really big stuff gets going is actually the most powerful motor sport of all.
Basically, a tractor (vintage in this case, but usually heavily modified) tries to drag a heavy sled along a 100 metre track of about 10 metres of width. The winner pulls the sled the farthest down this set track.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/05/438.jpg
The sled is technically called a weight transfer sled - as it moves down the track a heavy weight is transferred by gears or cables from over the rear axles towards the front of the sled. At the front there is a pan or flat plate and as the weighted block approaches it the resistance on the tractor's draw bar is increased. The farther the tractor goes the harder it becomes.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/05/439.jpg
If a tractor makes the full 100 metres this is technically known as a full pull. If more than one tractor makes the full pull, more weight is added to the block and it starts again until there is a clear winner - needless to say, none of the vintage tractors actually made a full pull on the day.
Now part of pulling folklore is that the sport originated back in the horse plough days of the mid 1800s when farmers would boast about the strength of their plough horses. Supposedly, horse pulling contests emerged where horses would be hitched to a barn door laid flat and set to pulling it. As it moved across the ground more and more people would jump on to the door and the winner was the horse that pulled the door the greatest distance.
So, it was appropriate to have the odd horse in attendance:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/05/440.jpg
There you go, get off the turps long enough and you learn something at Coolatai after all.
Back for more next year.
Cheers,
Neil
