11:45:19am, Sunday, May 19, 2024
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Finally took some pictures
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Some time ago, someone requested that I post pictures of the "Flagpole" display that my uncle Dennis Bobb has set up near his house, of some of the early Bobb Brothers Pulling team tractors.
Finally, I have been to visit, saw the display for myself, and thanks to my wonderful wife, have pictures to share. Please note, these tractors are not exact replicas, nor are they all the original tractors that were pulled in the early days. I believe the WC may be somewhat original, and also believe that the Road Runner replica uses the same frame, trans and rear end, and some other parts. The 190 XT and the D-21 are purely replicas, and are not in running order, nor do they have the correct multi-charger setups under the hood. They are all for display purposes only, constructed by one of the men who I've looked up to for my entire life to recall how things were when they got started in tractor pulling. Some history, as I know it. (There are huge amounts that I don't know about all four of these tractors, but wish that I did. The conversations that could be had about any one of them, how they came to be, the changes that were made to them over time, and the accomplishments of them would take hours to have with my Dad, and Dennis. Unfortunately, Marvin and Danny aren't with us anymore to add their parts to those stories.) The WC (orange sheet metal) was a tractor that Dennis pulled very early on. It was modified with a turbo, among other things, and eventually led to some controversy and was outlawed. The Road Runner WC was built by Dennis while he was a senior in High School. The original configuration had (I believe) a Mercury automotive engine, and a Ford truck transmission linked to the factor Allis transmission. Later, my Dad and Danny put in a 427 Ford engine with dual 4-barrel carbs. The D-21 I don't know a lot about. I do know that it helped Dennis earn a win and a second place at the same Indy Super Pull. I don't remember the weight classes, but the only other tractor to finish in a top two position that year in those two classes was Solid Junk. The 190 XT was sometimes called the 301 Wonder, as it retained it's stock displacement. It is the tractor that Danny piloted to a NTPA points championship, and also helped Danny win the first "Stock Puller of the Year" award that the NTPA gave out. There was also some controversy with this tractor later in it's pulling life, as the hydraulic range was deleted from it, and the front of the torque tube was cut off and replaced with a version of a clutch can, to facilitate the use of a Crower clutch. At the time (which was before my time) I'm told it was often debatable whether this modification would be considered legal, from one pull to the next. [www.facebook.com] |
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Re: Finally took some pictures
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Danelle
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Thanks for the pics , they are very awesome machines , a lot of history and stories im sure follow these , Allis was always nice pullers |
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Re: Finally took some pictures
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Registered: 04/04/2008 Posts: 633 |
When I was pulling my first tractor in about 1977 I was at a pull in Osgood,In. The Bob brothers were there with their D-21. When they were pulling the SS class they need a tractor to add weight to the sled. I volunteered to do it with my Oliver 88. I had to pull on the sled pan when they were pulling, then drive off of the pan so the sled could be towed back to the starting line. I would just sit on my tractor as they pulled down the track,I can remember to this day that when the D-21 went down the track I was getting pelted with chunks of dirt. None of the rest of the tractors in those days had enough power to do that.
S'no Farmer |
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Re: Finally took some pictures
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Dave Dann
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Thanks Aaron for sharing. I never saw either WC. But the 301 Wonder still bring back memories of great performances at Hamburg. I believe the D-21 was amongst the first ones to make 7000 weight. Danny would pull one tractor and go climb on the other and let the smoke belch as the dust flew! Those tractors could out smoke the others, according to my old pictures.
I have shared this with you previously Aaron and now I will with all who read this. My next younger brother and my first attended NTPA pull was in Jan. '74 at the Pennsylvania Farm Machinery Show in Harrisburg. We asked Danny how he could justify the pulling expense. His reply was, "Most farmers in our area owe $300,000 to $400,000 at any given time. So what's another $10,000." That statement is written on the back the D-21 picture. |
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Re: Finally took some pictures
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When those tractors were running, there wasn't a Hypermax, Riverside, or really any other shop to call and order a tractor. I wasn't there to see it, but from the pictures I've seen that my family has or had, and of others, the variety was huge. Pretty much everyone who was pulling was building their own stuff. My Dad and uncles were/are all good mechanics and great thinkers, plus they had some help along the way.
Those tractors were ahead of the times, for example, the issue with cutting the bell housing off of the torque tube on the 190 XT. They way my family saw it, they followed the spirit of rule at the time, which stated something to the effect that factory housings had to be used, but could be modified for performance purposes. Other people didn't see it quite the same way. That modification and the ruling against it, was part of the reason that they stopped pulling that tractor. I guess if someone wanted to, an argument could be made that that tractor was the first to take a step toward having a component chassis. |
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