Posted: May-07-2009 at 5:44am | IP Logged	Tweet

Thought some of you might enjoy seeing last night's graphics project.....

This is the Hemi-powered machine of Lebanon, Virginia's Giles "Smokey" Fields. You can expect to see this tractor make a special appearance at Lonesome Pine Raceway later this season.

Posted: May-08-2009 at 10:16pm | IP Logged	Tweet

That is one bad boy there!

Looks like Smokey could hook that puppy to the Grand Stands and take us all for a lap!

Posted: May-10-2009 at 9:04am | IP Logged	Tweet

It looks very good, Lynn. Job well done on your part, my friend. Pro Image Graphics does wonderful work.

In looking closely at the photos, dang, I don't know that I'd want to sit with my legs extended straddlin' the drivetrain. With the big Hemi, that's a LOT of horsepower being produced.

Me and a couple buddies were down in Knoxville back about four (maybe five years ago) at the TVA & I Fair at the annual big tractor and truck pull during fair-time. One of those big tractors, it blew (something, I'm not sure of now). I mean it blew big-time, and pieces of debris scattered into the crowd a a few injuries were sustained by fans.

Posted: May-10-2009 at 9:56am | IP Logged	Tweet

If you look close you'll see that not only does the tractor have  a super strong "blow-proof" bell housing and in-out box casing, but that the drive shaft itself also is enclosed completely in a"blow-proof" tubular housing. That driveline equipment is actually much safer than the driveline in a dirt or pavement Late Model car, as far as driver safety.

Have you looked at the driveline set up in a NHRA Funny Car? Much the same..., except that in the NHRA car, the driver is much closer to the driveline and has a thin sheet of sheet metal beween driver and driveline..... and horsepower is similar.

I think that the one which you saw in Knoxville blew the super charger.

Posted: May-10-2009 at 11:41am | IP Logged	Tweet

Yeah, I did look closely in the photos of the bell housing and the drive shaft enclosure. I don't know, I guess it was just in my mind that I'd hate to be sitting with my legs extended and the driveline break.

You're right, Lynn. That's what it was called, the super charger.

I've only ever attended like three or four tractor or truck pulling events, mainly because that just doesn't excite me. The times I've been, though, I've keenly observed the surroundings for safety. At the fairgrounds arena in Knoxville, and over outside of Hickory, N.C., where we attended, either location could've been deadly for spectators. No guardrail protecting the spectators from the tractors or trucks. I know those things supposedly have kill switches, but mechanical things can malfunction. If a wide-open tractor or truck would somehow break away, it could badly injure or kill many people. 

Posted: May-10-2009 at 12:44pm | IP Logged	Tweet

I have only been to a couple of professional tractor pull events myself..... so I can't really speak for the safety of all tractor pull events in general. The two which I attended were in what I would call "major" arenas. The spectators at those events were actually quite a distance from the actual competition area, and were behind well constructed barriers. One was at an indoor arena and the other was outdoors. Also, the machinery (tractors, trucks, etc., competing actually move at rather slow speeds because they are pulling a tremendous load (via the weight sled) and are geared extremely low for that purpose. They simply can't move fast in competition.

They pull a heavy heavy load (which is what the competiton is all about), they have a LOT of horsepower and the make a lot of noise.... but it's not like they are going to come barrel rolling at you at 200 mph like Carl Edwards at Talladega.   HA HA

Posted: May-10-2009 at 10:58pm | IP Logged	Tweet

I guess my main thought(s) were  if a wide-open tractor or truck would somehow break away, it could badly injure or kill many people. It's probably not very likely a tractor or truck would break away from the weighted sled they're pulling, but hey, crazy things can happen.

I've got a good friend whose brother-in-law is very into truck pulling. The guy's spent a LOT of money on his truck. I told Jason I'll try sometime this summer to go watch him in action. 

Posted: May-11-2009 at 8:51am | IP Logged	Tweet

He competes on a professional tour, and he did tell me that with this year's schedule, the closest event to home on the schedule is Danville, VA. I will get a schedule from him and post it on this thread, but I do know that he competes all over the southeast and into middle America.

As to "breaking away" from the weight sled..... yep, although it could happen, it would be extremely unlikely....   HA HA   And, if they did, remember that they are geared really low for pulling a big load, so they would speed up a little if that happened but still wouldn't be going really fast, and they do have the kill switch...... and, they don't pull toward the crowd.

Posted: May-11-2009 at 9:03am | IP Logged	Tweet

Also... just so our own LPR fans won't get overly concerned for their safety based on reading this thread, when we bring the "Blow Your Mind" tractor to LPR later this season, it will be there only for fans to see up close. It won't be doing any pulling and most likely won't even be fired up. The tractor is built for one purpose, i.e., to pull a weighted sled for a few seconds at a time. The super-charged Hemi motor produces tremendous horsepower and torque, but is built to be run for only a few seconds at a time and at full throttle. They don't "idle" this motor. It has no radiator or cooling system.

Posted: May-12-2009 at 10:52pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Most definitely, I wasn't meaning it would be a reason for concern when the tractor's at Lonesome Pine Raceway this racing season. I was only mentioning about the deal down in Knoxville when me and my buddies were down there, and how I was concerned about safety. Because there wasn't any safety barriers erected period between the dirt pulling arena and over to the limited grandstand seating and where people were just standing watching. I remember telling Alan and Jimmy that it'd be best if we stood over kind of beside where the tractor started from, because if for some freaky reason the tractor broke loose, it would already be past where it began pulling from as it attempted to pull the sled down the track.

Anyway, I do apologize if my comments about my limited experience(s) attending tractor/truck pulls concerning safety issues was taken by some that it might be dangerous at Lonesome Pine Raceway when the tractor is present.

Posted: May-13-2009 at 5:01am | IP Logged	Tweet

Yep... I have been to a couple of dirt tracks which I wouldn't go back to either.  HAHA  That was many years ago. One was in eastern North Carolina; one was in South Carolina. Neither one had a guard rail of any kind. One had a low cinder block wall built in front of the grandstand (3 courses, or 24" high) with a chain link fence along the top of that. The other had a board fence along in front of the grandstand. Neither appeared to be very safe, even 30 years ago. Had I judged all dirt track racing by those two experiences, I would never have seen another dirt track race. HAHA

Sounds like the tractor pull event which you attended was much like those two dirt track's which I attened in the 70's...... definitely unsanctioned and very much lacking in the area of safety. "There wasn't any safety barriers erected period between the dirt pulling arena and over to the limited grandstand seating and where people were just standing watching."   That wasn't good.....