June 03, 2018

Small Town Texas Tractor Pull

Friday night, the weather man advised people to stay in Saturday and avoid the high temperatures. So what did we do? We went to a tractor pull! Overnight, a hay field becomes a plowed dirt track, with parking, covered bleachers, food tents, and kids events. And of course, tractors, mostly older tractors.


Some were fully restored.



Some were extremely modified.



And some looked like the aging classics that they are.


We've never been to a tractor pull and wanted to see what it was all about, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to use the action setting on my camera. And you know what? It was fun! In case you have never heard of tractor pulls, it works this way. Men (if there are women who do this, they weren't at this one) bring their tractors together to see if they can pull more weight than the next guy's tractor. The weight is a big trailer-like thing called a sled. A tractor hooks onto the sled with and pulls it as far as it can across freshly plowed ground. At least it was freshly plowed in the morning, as the day went on it looked like it was packing down. Check out this Wikipedia article for more information.

Before the tractors could get on the track, they had to weigh in.


The drivers were all ages too, and some were real crowd pleasers.


It's hard to show action with still photos, but this tractor was pulling so hard the dirt was rolling.


I think it was this little boy's first time to compete, in fact, he was the only boy I saw driving. It was so fun to watch him; he was so serious. First he had to get on the scale. He missed it the first time and his dad coached him around for a second try.




Then, it was off to the track; dad coached from the sideline although I don't know how the little boy heard anything over the tractor engine and wearing that helmet. But he pulled the sled a way before he misunderstood what dad was telling him to do next and he stopped the tractor. I love that the dad was teaching the little boy and I hope I see him driving again next year.


This guy was giving us a good show. I think he was the host of the event too.



This old cowboy pulled the sled further than most in his class.  The further he pulled, the heavier the weight, and his front end started rearing up.  Nothing bothered him though; I could tell this wasn't his first bucking bronc.



But this guy was my favorite. He pulled the sled a long way and as the sled got heavier, his front wheels began to lift off the ground, but it didn't stop him. He just pulled the sled with only his back wheels! The tractors have added weights to the front to keep them down, and it helps, but doesn't completely stop the lifting.



Linking to:
My Sunday Photo at Photalife
Sunday Snap at JibberJabberUK
Our World Tuesday
Sundays in My City at By Claudya

13 comments:

  1. I've heard of tractor pulls, but never seen one. Your post has educated me! Love the story of the kid at hist first pull and your pics are very illustrative! Headed over from #MySUndayPhoto

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks like a fun day out, love all the old tractors.

    Have a great Sunday and thank you for linking up to #MySundayPhoto

    ReplyDelete
  3. That looks like so much fun!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those tractors are really cool, it looks like you had a fun day ! Purrs

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, that looks totally amazing, my family would love to go to something like this. Your photos are brilliant and bring the whole event to life.
    #mysundayphoto #sundaysnap

    ReplyDelete
  6. How fun. I would have enjoyed watching this very much.

    Have a fabulous day. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  7. Here's my obligatory comment notification comment.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Marti - I have never been to a tractor pull, but I know a lot about them because my female hairdresser in Dayton, OH was a regular competitor! Seems like the perfect summer event, heat and all!!!

    You've asked a couple of questions on my blog lately, so I thought I would answer them here: Raby Castle is still occupied by the family that owns it; they use other rooms than those you're allowed to tour. The moose video was shot on public land that is right next to our eight acres - so, practically, she was on our land. We don't think the beaver are going to be a problem; there is still enough water flowing under the dam to supply a farm/ranch a couple of miles away. My trail cam is a Moultrie. Thanks for visiting my blog regularly!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks like a fun. Is that where you got your sunburn?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great shots of the Tractor Pull Event ~ some handsome tractors there!

    Happy Times to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my gosh - that looks like such fun!! I love the little boy too!! Great photos!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a great competition - real country stuff. I bet it must have been hot with no shelter on the field.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it was hot. I noticed that most people, like us, would leave and then come back. Nearest place with cold drinks, ice cream, and air conditioning was just a couple of miles away.

      Delete

Your comments make my day and I look forward to visiting your blog too! If you are a no-reply blogger and don't have your blog on your profile, could you write it in your comment so I can visit you? Thanks! Due to a recent spamming problem, comments with links and unidentified anonymous comments will be deleted.