Tractor Pull - OT

Most pulls are by weight, so if you fill the tires up you may want to see what class that will put you in.

From what I remember that machine is geared slow, so go second gear.

As far as how far... Keep going until the wheels are spinning or the motor dies, anything before that and you are forfeting distance.

Pulled in farm stock class for several years in the Midwest with JD two cylinder 730 diesel and 830 diesel tractors. Most places required pulling in first gear only in farm stock class. Cleats on rear tires cant be shaved down. Air pressure dropped from 16 PSI down to 12 or 13 PSI. Used wheel weights rather than water in tires. Watch for differences in the lines that other tractors take on the track and if they suddenly spin out while still moving fairly well, or just slow to a stop, then spin.. Also, look for lines where the other tractors are getting even traction to both rear tires. When the front axle is in the air, are they still pulling fairly straight, or running to one side. Have seen many JD model D do very well. The engine RPM will drop dramatically, but will still pull hard. I have a Cat DW10 tractor that I take to shows, it is too heavy to pull in even the highest weight class, but still pull it as an exhibition. People really like that Cat tractor.

I am in trouble now, I am in the process of readying a Minneapolis Moline GVI. Are they the same weight class as your Deere? I would really like to yank the propane motor and "upgrade" to a "Buzzin' Dozen" Detroit Diesel. Just trying to not be outdone...... Juiceman.

Speed and gears depends on the type of sled they use. The older sleds moved the weights forward by driving them off the sleds tires so speed did not matter. The farther you went the, the more forward the weight transfered. The sleds used around here now days have there own engine moving the weight forward. If you have a slow machine the weight quickly overtakes you. I pulled my 406 UNIMOG a couple years ago at the local county fair. I got it down to 9,984 lbs by taking the doors and deck plates off and the passenger seat out. I drained all but 2 gallons of fuel out. Even though I was pulling as an exhibition only they stuck me in with the 10,000 lb class, 1,000 HP trucks. I pulled the sled until the back sled wheels were off the ground with the weight all the way forward and the rippers on the back of the skid plate were curled forward fully buried. The trucks did the same. The only difference was they were 100 ft further down the track because of their speed. One thing about it Mike,you will have fun. Let Red pull the Dodge in the truck class with the smoke turned up. All the kids will love it.

Now that's where Oil slick should make er smoke. I love it. But take the elbow tip off and send it straight up!

I pull my 47 JD B in antique 5k and 7k classes. I pull in 1st gear because unless you have the RPM's turned up with high compression engine. 2nd gear is a fiasco!
I pull between 3rd & 5th place in the 5K even against IH M's. Those guys think they need to use 2nd gear hence they run out of power. In the 7k class I'll come in between 9th & 13th place. I'm there, the class is there, plus the crowd loves it when I come out there loaded down with Iron! Remember 2k of iron is a lot to put on the "little" B!
Get the hitch as high and as legal and as close to the transmission as possible. The sleds here the weights run off the wheels. Run it right out till it stalls or if it slows way down moving forward but starts to spin, pull back a little on the throttle, lots of times the tires will regain traction but you will hold power. Pulls out here are Laser measured, you can place higher by a TENTH on an Inch now!
Farm Stock classes here typically infers it looks stock but is heavily modified inside the engine! I pull against those only to figure out weight distribution and track conditions for the Antique classes. Those guys are allowed to pull in 2nd gear.
Remember you will never win, take a couple of years to get weight distribution figured out to even place, HAVING FUN IS THE ONLY WAY TO PLAY!

Pretty much what the other guys have said goes, unless you have some mods & depending on what final drive sprockets are in your D, first gear is what you need. D's are really geared pretty high for pulling.
this '26 was owned by a friend of mine, that's me pulling it...it had a bunch of special things done to it, he never would say just what, but it pulled like no other D I ever saw. You won't see many D's that will pull the front wheels off the ground.
Sadly, he sold it to a guy who never drained it in the fall...yep, busted the block & head both beyond repair...:doh:

Link to more pics of that pull, to get you fired up...that was a fun tractor.
http://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=164405&posts=8&highlight=antique%20pullin%27&highlightmode=1#M1181225

edit: toned down the term for the guy who let it freeze...

At our local pull you could put the tractor in two different classes depending on hitch higth, and being at the same weight. If you add or take off weight then you could be in a different weight class again with the two different hitch higths. As said above speed means nothing as the weight box moves with the tractor pulling it. So slow and steady is the best, the reason to lower the tire pressure is so that the complete lug of the tractor is making contact to the ground. you should just get a wrinkle or two in the sidewall of the tire, thats what the guys that were winning said.

Back in the day, John Deere dealers had a "John Deere Day". Along with donuts and treats one of the things all would receive is a little book for note taking. That little book had pictures of all the wheel tractors manufactured by JD.

I always remember the Model D in that book, it was the "Grandaddy" of all the tractors. I loved the looks of that tractor.

And along with the R I still love it!